Pollution board to audit water of casinos

PORVORIM: A day after Congress alleged that the state government was not doing enough to monitor water pollution caused by offshore casinos in the Mandovi, environment minister Nilesh Cabral announced that Goa State Pollution Control Board (GSPCB) would conduct a water audit of all the casino vessels.
Cabral said the GSPCB would monitor on a monthly basis the raw water that was pumped into the casino vessels and the sewage discharged into the sludge tanks.
“From next month, we are going to start monitoring all the raw water that is pumped into casino vessels and the waste water that is discharged into the tanks. It will be measured scientifically by scientists,” Cabral said.
Asked for the objective of the water audit, Cabral referred to the apprehensions raised by Congress a day earlier.
Though the minister rubbished the concerns raised by state Congress president Girish Chodankar, Cabral said the government wanted to assuage the doubts of citizens.
“GSPCB has sealed the tanks of the casinos for waste discharge,” Cabral said. “The waste levels are monitored by GSPCB, and if the casinos want to discharge waste, they call a representative of GSPCB and captain of ports, and only then are the seals broken.”
The minister said the sewage is then transported through night soil tankers to the Tonca sewage waste treatment plants.
“There is a committee formed pursuant to NGT directions, and it includes scientists from NIO and NIT,” Cabral said. “They will also monitor (this) independently. They have carried out 14 visits and (will) submit a report.”
Cabral also said that the state government was working to bring in a gaming commissioner for the gambling industry.
“Our chief minister is on record to say that we are trying to shift the casinos, but any decision takes time,” Cabral said. “It is a policy decision that the government has to take, and we will find a practical solution. I am not making any promises but we will bring in the gaming commission as soon as possible.”