Panaji: Residents of St. Inez area and its visitors are facing a health hazard as sewage water is flowing along the St. Inez church road which is also creating a

breeding ground for mosquitoes.

The issue has arisen due to the dug-up road along the St. Inez church by different departments,

which resulted in damage to the existing sewage chamber.

The sewage has overflowed and spread across the road. Despite repeated complaints, the concerned authorities failed to resolve the issue on time, which has infuriated the residents.

Residents of the area said that they have complained about the stagnation of sewage water but to no avail. It is alleged that the authorities are taking the matter lightly, and contractors are unwilling to owe responsibility. Residents are now demanding swift action from the authorities to address the issue.

The sewage water is not only a cause for concern vis-à-vis people’s health but it is also making it difficult for them to move around the area.

Chief general manager of Imagine Panaji Smart City Development Ltd Vijaykumar Honawad said that the workers took time in identifying the cause of the problem but now that the chocked chamber is located and it will be fixed soon.

He further said that the accumulated sewage

will be drained out, and the filth will be removed from the area at the earliest.

The Smart City officials and PWD have issued notices to the contractors to take the matter seriously and resolve it.

They have warned the contractors to take precautions and ensure that no sewage overflows onto the road as they were not ready to take the blame.

The CCP workers could not take up pre-monsoon work of desilting the drainage along the stretch of road from St. Inez till PWD office because of ongoing digging work, which will continue till May end.

However, the smart city officials have directed the contractor to clean up the drainage before the onset of monsoon.