Dead fish floating in Mala lake due to dumping of untreated sewage: Mayor

Panaji: The Corporation of the City of Panaji (CCP) is working on a plan to identify households in Panaji and Taleigao that are releasing untreated sewage into water bodies such as Mala lake and St Inez creek.

Mayor Rohit Monserrate attributed the recent instance, where hundreds of dead fish were found floating in Mala lake, to the dumping of sewage. He said the civic body wants to make a fresh attempt to rejuvenate the state capital’s water bodies, a plan that will require at least Rs 80-100 crore in funding.

Monserrate has called for a meeting with other departments on Wednesday to discuss the status of the city’s water bodies and the feasible solutions to end the release of sewage into them.

“We are going to identify each and every household that is releasing sewage in Taleigao and Panaji. There are some colonies where the builder built with the expectation that the sewage network would come in, but that has not happened for various reasons. Some colonies don’t have funds to repair their sewage pits. Earlier, as part of the smart city, the sewage outlets of these homes were sealed but they have punctured the walls and restarted dumping so we will have to start the whole exercise first,” said the mayor.

“What the departments are saying is that because of the sewage flowing into the lake, the fish have died. The pollution control board has taken samples and let us see what the report says. There is a lack of oxygen and the sewage coming in that lake,” said Monserrate.

He said that the release of sewage into water bodies is “a wider problem across Panaji” that will turn into “a health disaster in the next two to three years” for the residents.

The mayor said that the only solution is to get all the departments to work together with a consultant to create a plan for the water bodies right from Nagali Hills to the outflow of the St Inez creek next to the old GMC building.

“This is not a six-month or seven-month plan. It is a five-year plan. We must stop all the sewage that is being dumped into our water bodies. We want to cover all the water bodies in Panaji. It will not be cheap. It will be upwards of Rs 80-100 crore,” he said.