Water hyacinth chocking river Sal but WRD pressed for time to act due to poll code
Avisitor crossing the Khareband bridge or the stretch near the wholesale fish market might mistakenly take the river Sal flowing underneath the bridge as a green zone.
For, the entire stretch of the river Sal, considered the lifeline of Salcete, is covered by a thick carpet of water hyacinth weed, the fastest growing weed, which has occupied a significant portion of the river along the Fatorda-Margao-Navelim stretch.Indeed, questions are being raised whether the government has any plan to desilt the river or in the alternative clear the river stretch of the water hyacinth weed before the onset of the monsoons. For, it is feared that the presence of the weed may hamper the flow of water during the monsoons, resulting in inundation along the flood plains of river Sal in the initial days of monsoon before the weed is flushed out of the river Sal into the Arabian sea via the river mouth at Betul.
Take note, the Fatorda-Margao-Navelim stretch of the river Sal was de-silted and cleaned and the weed was removed from it before the 2022 Assembly election. As per the tender floated by the Water Resources Department, the contractor was mandated to look after the upkeep and maintenance of the desilted portion of the river Sal for three consecutive years.
Last year, the WRD officials had got the contractor to take up the work of lifting away the water hyacinth weed from the river just ahead of the monsoons.
Questions are now being raised as to how the WRD will go about the work of clearing the water hyacinth weed, more so when the election code of conduct is in force, and whether time will permit the WRD to float a tender after the code of conduct is lifted after the declaration of results on June 4.
WRD officials were not available for comment on whether the department has floated a tender to lift away the weed from the river stretch or wheter it will wait for nature to take care of the weed during the monsoons. A group of environment-conscious citizens have now decided to call on WRD Minister Subhash Shirodkar to find out whether his department has drawn up any plans to clear the weed from the river Sal stretch. “We are concerned about the weed on two fronts. One, the thick carpet of the weed will slow down the movement of rainwater from flowing into the sea. This will result in the inundation of the flood plans of river Sal in Benaulim and Seraulim. Secondly, if the government hopes that the monsoons will take care of this and flush out the weed, it will only enter the sea at Betul, which will be later washed ashore along the coastal belt,” said a social activist.