High court directs urgent action on Sal river contamination issue

Margao: The high court of Bombay at Goa has issued stern directions to govt agencies to address the contamination of Sal river, expressing grave concerns over sewage discharge that has severely impacted agricultural fields and posed serious health risks to the locals.

The court, during a recent hearing of a PIL on the issue, made it clear that immediate action was needed to prevent further environmental degradation. “We are of the firm view that a solution must be offered to this issue as contamination of the river water would pose a danger and threat to human habitation,” the court observed.

The contamination has particularly affected Fatorda, where wastewater is discharged into nearby cultivated fields along public roads and into adjacent water channels that eventually drain into the Sal.

Court-appointed amicus curiae advocates Gauravvardhan Nadkarni and Neha Shirodkar presented a detailed note outlining specific measures that various authorities should adopt to minimise river water contamination.

“We expect that none of them take this petition as an adversarial litigation and offer their suggestions and all possible cooperation dealing with the sewage discharge into water bodies, including the river,” the court said.

The Goa State Pollution Control Board, represented by advocate Manish Salkar, submitted a verification report regarding the South Goa Planning and Development Authority’s compliance with previous court directions. The board assured the court that ongoing remedial work would be completed by July 31.