Sewage floods fields from overloaded Baga waste plant

Calangute: Agricultural fields near the Baga sewage treatment plant (STP) in Calangute were found flooded with sewage water during an inspection by the Goa State Pollution Control Board (GSPCB) on Friday.

The inspection was conducted after villagers and panchayat members complained to chief minister Pramod Sawant about pollution and external sewage tankers dumping waste at the plant.GSPCB officials took samples for testing and said they will submit a report to govt. Calangute Constituency Forum (CCF) members, Calangute Congress workers, sewerage corporation officials, and panchayat members were also present during the inspection.“As per records, all parameters are maintained. As of now, the plant is functioning properly. There is some overflow in the fields due to heavy rain. GSPCB officials have taken samples, and once reports come in, then we will know what the problems are and take steps to rectify them,” said Dr Roshan Nazareth, health officer of Candolim primary health centre.CCF president Premanand Divkar said that serious environmental violations were observed due to poor sewage treatment management, with untreated sewage water being discharged into nearby fields, destroying crops.

“It was observed that over 40 tankers, carrying around 3 lakh litres of sewage, are being unloaded daily at the STP. Given the plant’s incapacity to treat such volumes, this excess load is released directly as untreated sewage into the environment,” he said, demanding an immediate halt to the acceptance of sewage tankers.“The direct discharge of sewage into the Baga river has severely polluted it and, if unchecked, could contaminate Baga beach’s coastal waters. This would negatively impact tourism and the local economy,” Divkar said.