Casinos Cause No Pollution in River Mandovi, Says Water Audit Report

A water audit of casinos at the river Mandovi in Goa conducted by the Goa State Pollution Control Board (GSPCB) concluded that offshore casinos do not cause pollution in the river.

GSPCB was directed by the National Green Tribunal to conduct a water audit of the casinos in the river, informed GSPCB’s member secretary Shamila Monteiro. She said that the audit was commissioned to address a matter in the high court and NGT about the stress caused to the river due to sewer discharge from offshore casino facilities.

The high court ordered the quality of the water to be monitored, said Monteiro. She also clarified that casinos are required to mount a tank to collect any sewage from the vessel. Monteiro explained that, “the tank is locked and opened in the presence of board officials and the captain of ports for discharge into the sewage tankers for treatment in the sewage treatment plant.” The board maintains records of the sewage collected and transported.

“Board members have approved for placing this report before the NGT,” GSPCB chairman Ganesh Shetgaonkar said.

“M/s TUY-SUD has submitted the final report, and the findings state that there is no pollution from casinos in the Mandovi,” Monteiro said, as per a report in the Time of India.

The exercise of auditing water from casinos was announced on 15th June by the state’s environment minister Nilesh Cabral after Congress alleged that the state government wasn’t doing enough to monitor water pollution caused by offshore casinos in the river Mandovi. Cabral announced that GSPCB will conduct a water audit of all the offshore casinos on a monthly basis, including raw water pumped into vessels and sewage discharged into sewage tanks.