Home / Environment / Baga Beach Blackens: Sewage Plant Suspends Operations
Baga Beach Blackens: Sewage Plant Suspends Operations
29 Aug
Summary
- Untreated sewage turned Baga beach black, leading to plant suspension.
- Sewage tanker owners face financial hardship due to idle vehicles.
- Only treated wastewater, not sludge, can be processed by Baga STP.
The sewage treatment plant (STP) in Baga has partially suspended operations after untreated sewage began washing onto Baga beach, causing it to turn black. Local MLA Michael Lobo stated that the plant stopped accepting sewage tankers because they were delivering sludge from hotel septic tanks, which the Baga STP is not equipped to handle. This inability to process the sludge led to its discharge onto the beach, necessitating the halt in operations.
This suspension, which has been in effect for approximately 20 days as of Friday, has severely impacted sewage tanker owners from Calangute-Baga. They held a meeting to voice their grievances, as their registered tankers are now idle. They highlighted that while households are connected to the sewerage pipeline, large establishments continue to use tankers. The option of sending tankers to the Panaji STP is also not feasible due to daily capacity limits and long waiting times.
According to Lobo, only the STPs in Panaji and Margao are equipped to handle faecal sludge, with the new Guirim STP also expected to have this capability. He clarified that the Baga STP can process treated toilet wastewater from smaller hotel plants, but not sludge. Operations could resume if tankers cease bringing sludge for treatment.
