Authorities continue to struggle in capping sewage discharge into drains in Margao

MARGAO
Have the concerned authorities, including the Margao Municipal Council and the Goa State Pollution Control Board (GSPCB) addressed the burning issue of rampant discharge of raw sewage and waste water in the drains and storm water nullahs in the commercial capital?

Status report filed by the authorities before the High Court in the Public Interest Litigation filed by Citizen of Navelim Prof Antonio indicates that the agencies are still struggling to cap the discharge of sewage in the drains.

In fact, the status report provide an insight into the extent and the gravity of the burning issue, which had come under the High Court scanner since 2021 when Antonio Alvares had filed the PIL.

A glance at the status report filed by the Margao Municipal Council shows that the civic body had issued around 317 show cause notices, of which 163 have been issued to commercial units/ establishments and the remaining 154 to residential premises.  It had come to light that most of the commercial establishments were running the businesses sans consent to operate from the Pollution Control Board. Show cause notices with directions to shut down operations literally forced many of these establishments to knock the doors of the GSPCB to obtain the consent to operate.

Many of these units have been issued the consent to operate with a condition that the units should set up temporary holding tanks and the waste water from the holding tank is disposed of through night soil tankers till the premises are connected to the underground sewerage line. Incidentally, around commercial business establishments, including hotels and restaurants have permanently shut down operations after receiving notices from the MMC and the GSPCB.

In so far as the residential premises are concerned, 154 show cause notices have been issued, which are yet to be disposed of. Chief Officer Melvyn Vaz has given an undertaking to the court that the show cause notices will be disposed of within a time bound manner.

The meat stalls in the SGPDA mega retail market, which were issued closure notices for want of the GSPCB’s consent to operate, have all obtained the Pollution Control Board consent. These meat stalls have been mandated to connect their premises to the underground sewerage line. However, with work on connecting the stalls to the underground line is expected to take some time, the stalls have been told to set up holding tanks for storage of the waste water to be disposed of by night soil tankers.

GSPCB issues consent to operate to 52 units 

Goa State Pollution Control Board (GSPCB) member secretary Dr Shamila Monteiro, in her status report, filed before the High Court has said that the Board has granted its consent to operate to 52 commercial establishments, while the applications of four establishments are under process with the Board.

In respect of the 52 commercial establishments that have been granted consent to operate by the Board, Dr Monteiro said these establishments either have independent septic tanks/ soak pits for the disposal and treatment of the sewage generated by them or are connected to the public sewer line. 

In case of those establishments that are not connected to the public sewer line or do not have individual septic tanks/ soak pits; the Board has granted such units consent to operate with a specific condition to dispose the domestic waste water sewage generated by them in a holding tank of adequate capacity within the unit premises until the same are connected to the public sewer line. “The Board has now verified those commercial establishments that were required to dispose the domestic waste water/ sewage generated by them in a holding tank, septic tank/soak pits till such time as the premises were connected to the public sewer line; have now complied with the same,” the GSPCB status report stated.

In the case of certain commercial establishments located within the premises of the SGPDA retail market at Margao; the Board has granted its consent to operate with a condition to dispose the waste water/ sewage into the public sewer line within one month from the date of issue of the consent. The Board has also issued statutory directions to the SGPDA under the Water Act, directing it to provide temporary holding tanks for the waste water/ sewage discharged by these establishments till such time as the PWD sewerage connection to the SGPDA market complex is complete, the status report added.

MMC issues trade licences sans prior consent verification

MARGAO: Strange it may seem but true that the Margao Municipal Council does not verify or check whether any establishment is required to obtain consent to operate prior to the issuance of trade licences.

This statement was made by Margao Municipal Chief Officer Melvyn Vaz in his status report filed before the High Court in the Public Interest Litigation (PIL) filed by petitioner Prof Antonio Alvares in the Salpem waste water discharge.

In fact, the Chief Officer made a submission that the trade licences are issued in terms of the Trade and Occupation Licensing Bye Laws, 1989 and in terms of the order dated 29th July 2022, issued by the Director of Urban Development. The Chief Officer stated that the Order of the Director of Urban Development is binding on the civic body, as it contains a specific instruction that trade or occupational licence shall be granted only on the basis of Form B and self-declaration/ undertaking and that the trade or occupation licence should be granted within 3 working days from the date of the application.