Goa: Pollution in River Sal has nearly tripled after Covid, level of micro plastics up four times

PANAJI: Pollution and contamination levels in the River Sal in South Goa have more than doubled and in some places tripled in the last two years, since early 2020, with the level of micro plastics in the water going up nearly four times – a study undertaken by the Mumbai-based think tank CPIE India (Centre for Promoting Indian Economy) in association with the Raksha Hospital Research Forum – a part of the Raksha Multispecialty Hospital group has found.

The main cause or primary reason for the pollution in River Sal is the discharge of untreated sewage and other waste into the river at various points along its course and into the soil and backwaters near the river banks, which ultimately seeps and merges into the river water.

The level of micro plastics in the River Sal has increased almost four times in the last two years: CPIE India

“River water samples from various parts of its course were tested for contaminants and pollutants and the water was found to be highly polluted and dangerous for bathing, swimming or contact with human skin,” Prof. Altin Gomes of the CPIE India said, adding, “besides, marine and piscine life in the river is greatly impacted by the pollution and contaminants making the fish found in some places unsuitable for human consumption.”

At some places, the pollution and contamination levels in the river water including the presence of fecal coliform bacteria are nearly three to four times those of March 2020, when the Covid lockdown was imposed, Dr Pranav Kabra of the Raksha Hospital Research Forum informed.

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“Due to pollution, marine and aquatic life in parts of the river is in extreme distress due to low levels of dissolved oxygen and very high levels of biochemical oxygen demand or BOD,” Dr Kabra opined.

“Pollutants, untreated sewage, chemicals and non-biodegradable materials are following into the river unchecked, drastically lowering the water quality, killing aquatic, piscine and marine life, increasing fecal matter and other harmful microorganisms and killing the river,” Dr Pranav Kabra said.

According to Dr Kabra, the depth of the river basin has drastically reduced at several places due to accumulated silt and sediment and the basin storage capacity – important to prevent flooding during heavy rains – is also affected greatly, calling for urgent desilting, removal of sediment and cleaning up of the river.

In an attempt to combat the river pollution, the River Sal rejuvenation project was launched by the Goa government a few years ago. It was to be completed in three phases over different stretches of the river, with the first phase involving the cleaning up of the stretch between Nuvem and Navelim, which is almost complete.

“The government initiated the cleaning up of River Sal after instructions from the National Green Tribunal (NGT) and activists who complained about the pollution in the river, but in spite of the fact that nearly Rs 12 crore has been spent till date, not much has been achieved,” says Dr Sadashiv Naik, an environmental scientist, associated with a premier fisheries’ institute in the country.

The cleaning up and rejuvenation was scheduled to be done in three phases with a total cost outlay of around Rs 25 to 30 crore, including the cost of setting up aeration plants, barrage structure with a mechanical gate and other related infra to depollute Sal.

“Due to pollution, marine and aquatic life in parts of the river is in extreme distress due to low levels of dissolved oxygen and very high levels of biochemical oxygen demand or BOD,” Dr Kabra opined

However, the local fishing community and environmentalists have been opposing the dredging work since the start, claiming that the process followed is “unscientific and unsustainable” and blaming the Captain of Ports (CoP) for the mess.

Fishermen from the villages of Assolna, Ambelim, Cavelossim, Betul and others on the banks of the River Sal are against dredging carried out by the Goa government agencies in an attempt to revive the dying river on the ground that the work is destroying the ecosystem and natural habitat of the fish.

The fishermen have an axe to grind – they claim that the agencies employed for the dredging work are destroying mangroves and mudflats while cleaning up the river, uprooting the roots of the mangroves and even trying to destroy a sand bar near the mouth of the river, which serves as a protection mechanism over inhospitable navigation channels of the river.

They have also alleged that the dredging work with heavy machinery was carried out in areas where fish breed, which could affect their traditional business and livelihood.

“While the fisherfolk and locals continue to oppose the desiliting and cleaning work of the River Sal, the river water is going from bad to worse, slowly killing the river and making it into a nullah – a fate very similar to that of the rivers in Mumbai (then Bombay) about 60 years ago,” says Dr Kabra.