Cuncolim Industries Association calls for water usage assessment by GSPCB
MARGAO
President of the Cuncolim Industries Association (CIA) Abhay Keni on Monday said the Goa State Pollution Control Board (GSPCB) should establish how much is the water requirements of the fish meal and fish processing industries, besides the distilleries and the capacity of the effluent treatment plants installed by the units.
Keni emphasised that the solution to water contamination issues lies not in shutting down these industries but in ensuring they do not discharge effluents into the environment.
“It is unfortunate that cattle have been affected by the discharge of effluents. The fish water has high BOD and COD, besides fat, oil and grease (FOG), which is highly dangerous for the cattle,” he told the media on Monday.
In response to reports suggesting that he had lodged complaints with the GSPCB regarding the suspension of operations at certain industrial units due to water contamination, Keni clarified his position. He explained that he had merely requested GSPCB Member Secretary Dr Shamila Monteiro to investigate the sources of the blackish water emanating from the industrial estate.
“My purpose of calling up the GSPCB Member Secretary was not to complain but to identify the source of the blackish water,” he added.
