Daijiworld Media Network – Panaji

Panaji, May 14: In the suo motu Public Interest Litigation concerning dead fish found floating in Mala Lake, the Corporation of the City of Panaji (CCP) on Wednesday informed the Bombay High Court at Goa that multiple illegal sewage connections had been detected during inspections in the surrounding area.

Appearing before the High Court vacation bench, counsel for the CCP stated that seven residential houses were found discharging sewage directly into the lake through unauthorised outlets. The corporation informed the court that the illegal connections had been sealed as an immediate corrective measure.

The court directed the affected house owners to apply for proper sewage connections with the concerned authorities to ensure compliance with waste management norms. It further stated that any such applications should be processed expeditiously by the authorities.

During the hearing, the High Court was also informed that a damaged sewage pipeline in the area was causing overflow of waste into the lake, worsening contamination.

Authorities assured the court that the damaged pipeline would be repaired within a week to prevent further pollution.

The CCP was permitted to submit its inspection report before the registry and was directed to communicate the court’s order to all house owners whose sewage outlets had been sealed.

The matter is scheduled to come up again on June 9, when the court is expected to review compliance measures and progress made towards restoring the environmental condition of Mala Lake.