MARGAO: In its recent report pertaining to polluted lakes in the State, the Goa State Pollution Control Board (GSPCB) has listed ‘Rai-Tollem’ as one of the highly polluted lakes in South Goa much to the surprise of the hundreds of farmers from Curtorim.
The report has left the farmers and locals baffled, as they are clueless as to what led to the pollution of Rai-Tollem. However, as per GSPCB’s findings, ‘Rai-Tollem’ has dissolved oxygen below the permissible limit and Biochemical Oxygen Demand (BOD) has exceeded the permissible limit.
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As per the study report, River Sal at Khareband, Rumder Lake, Saipem Lake and Curtorim Lake opposite St Alex Church), are the other few lakes which are listed as highly polluted ones.
According to the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) guidelines, a level of BOD, which is the concentration of oxygen required for aquatic life, above 3 mg/l cannot sustain fish species. A low level of BOD means less oxygen is being removed from the water, so the water is usually pure. Dissolved oxygen refers to the level of free oxygen present in water. Dissolved oxygen level that is too high or too low can harm aquatic life and affect the water quality.
The report says that this lake is highly polluted and the deteriorating water quality is posing danger to the aquatic life in the water bodies, according to a water monitoring study carried out by the GSPCB on seven major lakes, which are facing a serious threat from pollution and rapid development. The study was conducted between April 2020 and March 2021 by GSPCB’s scientific team.
Farmers and locals within the vicinity of ‘Rai-Tollem’ lake were in for a complete shock when it was brought to their notice that their lake has been listed as one of the highly polluted ones.
It is pertinent to note that nearly 120 farmers are fully dependent on water conserved in the ‘Rai-Tollem’ Lake for several decades, as many of them grow vegetables throughout the year, and carry out fresh water fish farming.
Herald travelled to Curtorim on Tuesday and met several farmers, who expressed shock.
Seby Barretto, a farmer, said this is a very shocking report and the farming community is very much upset.
“We feel that maybe the GSPCB has mistakenly mentioned the ‘Rai-Tollem’ lake in the list of highly polluted lakes in the South, as there is no pollution of the lake. Nobody, besides farmers, are interfering with the lake, and hence there is no possibility of pollution over here,” he defended.
He said the farmers and locals from the locality are very much sensitive towards the ‘Rai-Tollem’ lake, as it also holds some religious importance.
“This report has created in fear amongst the farmers, and we fear that tomorrow the farming community may think twice before cultivating the fields due to pollution, as reported by GSPCB,” said Andrew Barretto, another farmer.
He said the Rai-Tollem Lake water is clean, and there is no source of any sewage discharge into the lake here.
“There are hardly any houses close to the lake. We are keeping a close watch on the activities in and around the lake on a regular basis for the past several decades, so that the sanctity of the lake is maintained. We are shocked to hear the news pertaining to Rai-Tollem lake being listed as a highly polluted lake,” he stated.
While Regin Barreto, farmer said the people and farmers will never allow anybody to engage in polluting the lake, as done before.
“It is our livelihood and we have always taken care of this lake,” he added.
J Santano Rodrigues, Chairperson of Curtorim Bio-Diversity Committee was shocked after receiving news about the study report pertaining to Rai-Tollem pollution.
“This Rai-Tollem Lake is considered as one of the cleanest lakes in Curtorim, as there is hardly any source that can lead to the water pollution. I don’t agree with the study done by the GSPCB,” he said.
As per the study, the level of dissolved oxygen (DO) in the Rumder Lake was also below the permissible limit of 4 milligrams per litre during the monitoring period, as Herald had highlighted the same a few months back.
Fr George Quadros, who is into farming activities said the polluted water, will surely affect the farming activities, if the Rai-Tollem is polluted.
However, he refused to comment on the issue stating that he has no detailed study of the lakes and also about the study done by the GSPCB.
