Goemkarponn desk
PONDA: The Locals at Usgao and Khandepar expressed unhappiness over the excavation of mud and boulders on the bank of the OPA water reservoir.
Locals said since the past eight days, excavation has been done at the river bank toward the OPA Plant site.
Locals said mud should not be dumped into rivers; instead, the mud should be transported through trucks and dumped elsewhere.
The OPA river water turned red due to mud dumped in the past week.
Environmentalist Sandeep Parkar said already the river basin is filled with mud and silt and if excavation of mud and boulders is dumped into the river, it would create an adverse effect on the environment and also cause flooding in low areas at Usgao and Khandepar.
He said he complained to senior Official Badani of the water resource Department, following which he assured to conduct inspection at the site.
When asked PWD officials at OPA they said excavation is done for the construction of an additional Pumping house for the OPA Water Treatment Plant. He also said that mud would be removed when constructing a coffer dam, which would also be built in the area.
