Team Herald
PANJIM: Citing serious concerns about demarcation of high tide line (HTL) in khazan lands, beyond the sluice gates in the draft Coastal Zone Management Plan (CZMP), the villagers of Siridao-Palem panchayat have urged State Government to approach Union Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEF&CC) with a request for amendments to the Coastal Regulation Zone (CRZ) notification 2011 to exclude HTL from khazan land with special provision to Goa.
The villagers led by Parish Priest Fr Valerian have submitted a memorandum to the State Environment department raising strong objection to demarcation of HTL in khazan lands, demarcation of khazans as mangroves and demarcation of HTL around salt pans, aquaculture ponds, rice fields and fish breeding estuaries.
The villagers said that Goa has a ten-century-old tradition of cultivating rice in low lying areas known as khazan where the tidal influence was controlled by operation of sluice gates, traditionally known as ‘manas’ and by bunds which were maintained by the community. Aquaculture was practised in the water body beyond sluice gates which has no effect of tides in the estuaries adjoining this khazan lands.
They have pointed out the study in this regard by National Institute of Oceanography and Goa Coastal Zone Management Authority (GCZMA), which was accepted by the High Court that the area beyond sluice gates is not affected by tides.
“The very fact that this is unique to Goa has been accepted by the Ministry while issuing the CRZ notification, 2011, wherein special provisions for Goa khazan land, as eco-sensitive low lying area is recognised, and recommended for mapping and protection,” they said.
“It is therefore surprising that the high tide line has been demarcated by National Centre for Sustainable Coastal Management (NCSCM) beyond the sluice gates. NCSCM clarifies that their demarcation is as per notification which now defines high tide line as salinity concentration of 5 parts per thousand and the aspect of rise and fall of water level is not of much consequence,” they added.
Due to the socioeconomic changes in society and cheap availability of rice in the market, agriculture practices were stopped in such khazan lands as well as in paddy fields, and there was also no proper maintenance of bunds leading to breaches in bunds and breakage and collapse of sluice gates leading to ingress of saline water in such khazan lands and even paddy fields resulting in growth of mangroves.
The villagers said that now, merely because of such lapse, Government is working to improve the conditions of such fertile agriculture khazan lands.
“Demarcation of HTL around khazan lands will not only mean loss of agriculture land but a loss of centuries old heritage, which is unique to Goa and especially to Siridao-Palem. With the help of the Government, when the breaches in the bunds are repaired, the khazan lands, paddy fields will be cultivated, reviving the farming practices, and producing the much needed grain and other foods,” they said.
Another point that the villagers have stressed is that as per draft CZMP 1996 for Goa the mangroves were about 20 sq km whereas the NCSCM report shows mangroves of 41 sq km of area, which means area under mangrove has doubled and hence conservation of mangroves is not an
issue in Goa.
“The State Government should strongly recommend to the union government to notify suitable amendment to the special provisions for Goa and resolve this issue,” they demanded.
“We would like to highlight that with the demarcation of HTL in khazan land around mangroves and around salt pans and aquaculture ponds, most of the area of the village is under CRZ as there is NDZ beyond HTL. Therefore the HTL should be demarcated along the bunds and not around mangroves in khazan and around aquaculture ponds, Fish Breeding estuaries, paddy fields and salt pans,” the villagers said.
