Panaji: The Bombay High Court on Wednesday expanded the scope of its suo motu PIL on dead fish floating in Mala Lake to include the Mandovi river region to address water pollution.The court took cognizance of one times of India Report on qualitative and quantitative study of water in Mandovi of Goa State Pollution Control Board (GSPCB). The bench noted the “concerning findings” of the report.The court said that the main issue that needs to be addressed would be the very high amount of fecal coliform bacteria present in the river around the area where the casinos are operating.A bench of Justices Valmiki Menezes and Amit Jamsandekar directed the Member Secretary, GSPCB, to conduct a similar quantitative and qualitative study and prepare a report on the water quality within the Mandovi, especially at the mouth of the river between Iffi Ghat and Mandovi bridges.“The study will particularly focus on collecting information about the water quality around each casino stationed there or any other marine vessel which is used for tourism purposes within that area,” the court said while directing the submission of the report on June 1.The high court also directed the GSPCB to initiate action on the basis of the report based on the data already available with them and place it before the court on June 1.On the Mala Lake issue, the joint site inspection report by the GSPCB, Water Resources Department and Fisheries Department has pointed to pollution of the water due to sewage discharge. Reports recorded that waste water (sewage) from residential areas along the western perimeter of the lake was seen flowing into the lake through storm water drains. “These observations highlight the fact that sewage is being discharged directly into the lake by residents on the western periphery of the lake,” the court said.It directed the CCP Commissioner to conduct a joint inspection of each residential house to find out the exact cause of the presence of faecal coliform bacteria and identify their sources.“If such discharge is actually found in a particular home-shed, the Commissioner shall take immediate action to seal or rectify the situation,” the HC said. He said that in case of environmental degradation and health hazards, no notice is required before sealing or taking action under the CCP Act and Public Health Act.During the hearing, the CCP told the court that there are 800 to 1,000 residences within 200 meters of the perimeter of the lake, of which 200 have been inspected so far and 31 show cause notices have been issued.The Sewerage and Infrastructure Development Corporation of Goa told the court that it runs a pumping station where a part of the sewage is pumped to the STP at Tonka and the rest to the STP at EDC Patto. The corporation told the court that treated water from STPs at Tonka and Patto is not discharged into Mala Lake but into Mandovi.Corporation counsel Akshata Bhatt presented before the court a water analysis report of the STP at Patto, which showed that the water was completely treated before releasing it into Mandovi.