All units at Verna ind estate to be told to treat effluents

Porvorim: Minister for water resources Subhash Shirodkar said in the assembly on Tuesday that the Kesarval spring at Verna will soon be rejuvenated and beautified at an estimated cost of Rs 13 crore.Chief minister Pramod Sawant said it will be made mandatory for even smaller units at the Verna industrial estate to set up effluent treatment plants so that the quality of water at the spring is maintained.Quepem MLA Altone D’Costa said that the quality of the water at the spring is deteriorating.“The Kesarval spring sees a large number of visitors every day. Our tourism department has proposed the development of springs, and when we noticed it was not part of the list, we decided to add it,” Shirodkar said.

“We carried out an inspection recently. The spring will be developed and beautified, and bandharas will be built downstream so local farmers can continue using the water for agriculture.”Fatorda MLA Vijai Sardesai said that today people report getting skin infections after bathing in the Kesarval spring, while Curchorem MLA Nilesh Cabral said that unless the quality of water is improved at the spring, there is no point in carrying out the beautification works.