While efforts are being made by groups like Together for Panjim to revive the St Inez creek through song and celebration, it is time for the Corporation to get down and get their hands very dirty to clean and revive this creek. Men and machines need to be get in, before guitar strumming singers and other well-meaning people do. This is beyond a photo-op now
Sewage litter, silt and toilet and waste, all in
Glenn Costa
glen@herald-goa.com
PANJIM: The Santa Inez Creek covers about 3.6 km as it wends its way through the city and ultimately empties into the Mandovi. Supposed to serve as a storm drain, this creek has completely degraded in its present avatar resembles more of a giant open sewer with sewage floating on its surface as it traverses the city, announcing its presence with a foul odour.
NOT A STORM WATER DRAIN, BUT A DUMP: Studies confirm that it has stopped functioning as a storm water drain from the capital due to continuous dumping of garbage, discharge of sewage effluent and solid waste generated by the hutments and habitations along the its length – many times on both sides. There is a sewage treatment plant on one border which also discharges its water into the creek amidst allegations, though strongly denied, that a lot of it is still untreated.
Recently a Panjim corporator, Bharati Heble had written to the city mayor and the Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar, asking that fines be levied on construction firms and others found littering the St Inez creek and illegal hutments and other encroachments along the creek be demolished in a time-bound manner. Heble had also alleged that the Sewage Department is pumping untreated sewage into the creek making it extremely polluted and unhygienic, full of plastic, garbage, debris, litter found dumped inside and stench emanating from the waters and workers from under construction building dumping debris and other construction material inside the creek obstructing the free flow of water.
Houses located in St Inez bandh lack toilet and sanitation facilities contaminating its waters and that the CCP has not taken any action against these illegalities and also of some restaurants dumping their wet waste into the creek. There is also a problem of stench, stink of open defecation, urination and other organic wastes. And diseases like malaria and other water borne diseases has routinely been reported from the project influence area.
No SEWAGE SYSTEM ALONG THE CREEK: According a report conducted by the CCP, there is no existence of any sewerage system along the creek to tackle the generated sewage and drainage from the surrounding inhabited areas and effluents from many households are being directly discharged into the creek and are considered as one of the most predominant cause of pollution.
SILTATION FROM CONSTRUCTION: The creek is also faced by continuous siltation due to land erosion from surroundings caused by mushrooming development at the junction of Mandovi river leading to regular flooding of surrounding areas during the monsoon. This also leads to the stoppage of the natural flow due to loss of depth and deformation in the creeks configuration.
This stagnation is the prime reason for mosquito breeding especially as there is a lack of fish and other aquatic species as there is no flow of fresh water except for half a kilometre inside from the Mandovi River.
NO GARBAGE REMOVAL: Another point brought up is that the arrangement for removal of garbage on regular basis is essential, but due to the absence of any such systems, all the garbage is being continuously dumped into the creek. Also the garbage dumped includes non- biodegradable materials.
Hindrances created by unplanned constructions along the bank of the creek and extended up to the bank have denied access for through traffic all along the stretch and if status quo is maintained it will hinder introduction of maintenance activities.
Thus the economic benefit of the proposed development includes reduction in household healthcare cost and reduction in man days lost because of these diseases.
A Ponte Minerva, em Campal (Pangim) - 1957
Between 1827 and 1835, Viceroy D. Manuel Francisco de Portugal e Castro undertook large scale reclamation of the western marshes of Panjim. This area was called Campo de D. Manuel and subsequently it was known as Campal (which means an extensive open ground). He thus accelerated the process of urbanization of Panjim.
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