PANAJI: Salcete’s tiny River Sal has been a major cause of worry in recent years, due to its rising pollution levels. The department of biological sciences of BITS Pilani KK Birla, Goa Campus, is now working towards finding a solution.
Using funds from thecentral government’s department of science and technology, 500sq m of wetland will be created near the
Margao fish market at a cost of around Rs 20 lakh. This will be a pilot demonstration to treat effluents from a drain flowing into the river.
The project will be executed under
Srikanth Mutnuri of the department of biological sciences of BITS Goa campus, who has over 12 years of research experience in bioremediation and waste water treatment.
“Around 40 cubic meters of water per day will be treated under the pilot demonstration project. Vertical constructed wetlands with river bed filtration will be used. This project is in collaboration with The
Energy and Resources Institute (TERI), Goa. Vertical constructed wetlands require low energy, are low maintenance and there is no recurring expenditure. It also has the advantage of being one of the most cost-effective waste water technologies, which is easy to operate and reliable,” said Mutnuri, who has research projects from several funding agencies, including the
Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation.
Salcete’s tiny River Sal has been a major cause of worry in recent years, due to its rising pollution levels. 
