MARGAO
Parts of the commercial capital seemed virtually seating on a sewage bomb as large-scale infiltration of rainwater into the underground water line triggered backflow via the chambers.
A stray incident of sewage backflow has been reported inside the washroom of a residential house in the Aquem area of the city. That’s not all. As if the couple of overflowing sewage chambers at the Aquem ring road, Colmorod and on the Margao municipal building passage was not enough, a fresh incident of sewage chamber overflowing on the eastern side of the MMC building near the Kohinoor hotel surfaced on Wednesday.
Both the sewage treatment plants (STP) at the Sirvodem complex are believed to be running beyond their capacity for the last couple of days. PWD officials find themselves in a quandary of how to deal with the emerging scenario. They are believed to have taken stock of the situation and discussed whether to open the emergency valve at the STPs, which was sealed a couple of months ago after Benaulim MLA Venzy Viegas, claimed discharge of raw sewage in the river Sal.
It could not be ascertained whether the PWD will open the valve to discharge excess water entering the STPs because of rainwater infiltration.
With the sewage raising its stink right in the passage of the Margao municipal building corridor and more sewage chambers now overflowing, discharging sewage mixed with water, Margao MLA Digambar Kamat on Wednesday rushed to the STP at Sirvodem along with Margao Municipal Chairperson Damu Shirodkar to review the situation with engineers of PWD, Sewerage.
Sensing the urgency of the problem, the meeting is believed to have constituted teams of engineers to fan out to various areas to ascertain the number of overflowing sewage chambers.
The Margao MLA told The Goan that he had a meeting with the engineers of PWD, sewerage in view of a couple of sewage chambers overflowing in the city. “We discussed the overflowing sewage chamber at the MMC building passage. Engineers have attributed it to the situation of backflow. They are in the process of rectifying the situation,” he said.
Kamat admitted that an incident of sewage backflow into the washroom of a residential house located in a low-lying area of Aquem has come to light.
