Team Herald
BASTORA: The construction of a Raw Water Pumping Station at Guirim for the augmentation of a multipurpose tank at housing board, Porvorim is being undertaken supposedly on the banks of Bastora rivulet branching from the Mapusa River. The work is being undertaken at the Guirim bypass junction and the estimated tendered cost of Rs5,12,29,945.
A site inspection was carried out of the above mentioned work in 2015 by the Porvorim MLA, Rohan Khaunte along with the Chief Engineer WRD, Senior Hydrologist, Executive Engineer I, Assistant Engineer II and other technical staff of this office. The report states that during the site inspection the proposal for construction of a multipurpose water tank was examined and discussed in detail and it was decided to develop the existing water body in the open space of survey number 166 and 168.
According to an RTI reply received recently from the Water Resources Department regarding the said project it came to light that this project will‘Presently benefit Porvorim area’.
When asked to furnish copies of CRZ/Environment clearances obtained from the concerned department since the project was being undertaken on the banks of rivulet. The answer furnished in the reply was that this pump house is being‘Constructed in an area acquired by the WRD’.
Another question, asking if any Environment Impact Assessment (EIA) was done of this water plant saw a very vague reply that read as follows, ‘Pertains to PWD’.
While the department also furnished a reply, ‘No comments’ when asked if the government has any plans to construct a water treatment plant in the area or in its vicinity.
The Ex- Deputy Sarpanch and villager of Bastora, Andrew D’souza has stated that this work is being carried out without CRZ clearance and he will submit a written complaint letter to Goa Coastal Zone Management Authority (GCZMA) regarding this violation of CRZ norms.“This is a blatant violation of CRZ norms as the project has encroached in the Bastora rivulet. This will set a wrong precedent whereby the people will start building structures similarly along the banks or in the river itself the way this pump station is built. I demand that the GCZMA stay this construction and ask the WRD to adopt corrective measure,” told Andrew.
