SALIGAO: Chandor-Cavorim village was praised at the 13th meeting of the Goa State Wetland Authority’s Public Grievance Committee held at the Goa State Pollution Control Board auditorium at Saligao.
The committee chairman Retd Judge Desmond D’Costa said this was the only village that had wholeheartedly supported the efforts to declare Lagoa de Cima or Oilem Tollem as a wetland.
If you enjoyed reading this article, you can help support our journalism by adding OHeraldo as a preferred source.
“All three letters we received were in support of the decision to declare the lake as a wetland which shows the villagers’ commitment to preserve and protect the environment,” he said.
Goa State Biodiversity Board Member Secretary Dr Pradip Sarmokadam, who is the convener of the Grievance Committee said the village panchayat along with the Village Development Committee and Village Biodiversity Management Committee had officially supported the authority’s decision to declare the lake as a wetland.
He said the Grievance Committee will now send its report to the Goa State Wetland Authority which will take the final decision.
He explained that once the lake is notified as a wetland, the government will constitute a Wetland Management Committee with the concerned Assistant Engineer of Water Resources Department as Member Secretary.
“This committee will have stakeholders with the owners being one and the sarpanch could be another,” he said, while pointing out that all the panchayat members will be on the committee.
He said this committee will get funds directly from the Centre to support and maintain the Wetland. “The Wetland Committee can decide what needs to be done like de-silting or strengthening the embankments, etc,” he said.
The grievance committee also heard suggestions pertaining to declaring Ambulor lake, the source of River Sal, as a Wetland next.
Verna panchayat secretary Vinod Shinde had suggested that repairs and reconstruction of the chapel and store room in the buffer zone be permitted in future, besides attaching the suggestions made by Verna-Nagoa Agricultural Tenants Association.
The Association besides asking the repairs of the storeroom where the planks for sluice gates are stored also asked that the area of wetland, buffer zone and zone of influence should not be altered in future.
They also very strongly demanded that the water of the lake should not be permitted to be used for industrial purpose.
Incidentally, in view of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit, the Committee’s hearing on Kamala Tollem in Benaulim and Zuari Lake at Sancoale that was scheduled on February 6 has been postponed and a fresh date will be intimated later on.Besides the Chairman and Convener, member Adv Sapana Mordekar and Deputy Collector, North Goa along with WRD Assistant Engineer, North were present for the hearing as ex-officio members of the committee.
Representatives of Council of Scientific & Industrial Research of National Institute of Oceanography were also present as observers.
