Fresh sewerage repairs choke Calangute roads in peak season

Calangute: Locals have raised an alarm over the fresh excavation of roads to “repair” the Calangute sewerage project’s sinking sewerage pipeline chambers, with roads in Madda Vaddo, near the Calangute beach promenade, and the road near Little Flower School being blocked to traffic.

Most of the sewerage chambers built for the sewerage pipeline network have been sinking, especially on Baga road and in beachside areas, due to sandy soil. To rectify this, state govt has now initiated work to repair them, Calangute MLA Michael Lobo said recently.

Congress Calangute ZP candidate Carmelina Fernandes said, “Roads have been closed and it’s peak season. In two weeks the peak season will be over. The road near Little Flower School is completely shut off. Traffic is being diverted through narrow roads, and the accidents that have been happening are too many to even mention. There is no traffic police to tell you there is a diversion.”

The Calangute sewerage system, started in 2013, was to be completed in two years, but the work has dragged on, and the sewage treatment plant (STP) started functioning only a year ago, with a few sewerage connections in the Baga area. Other areas are not yet connected because two more pumping stations are yet to be built.

AAP Calangute convenor Manuel Cardozo pointed out that with the fresh digging work, some of the narrow lanes in the beachside areas of Maddowaddo have once again been blocked right in the peak tourism season, cutting off access to a large number of hotels, guesthouses, restaurants, and people’s homes.

“This govt is not bothered about the people. This sewerage project has been going on for more than 12 years now, but till today the project has not started. Twice every year the chambers sink. People in Calangute have faced great difficulties because of this. They’ve only been repairing the chambers every now and then. Now they’re repairing the entire chamber and rebuilding them,” Cardozo said.