Team Herald
PANJIM: The Central Groundwater Board’s (CGB) hydrogeological report stating that any construction activity adjacent to the Oxel Spring is unlikely to affect the groundwater flow or cause contamination has left the Oxel, Siolim residents shell-shocked as they fear that the report will not only spell doom for the local spring and will also adversely impact all the springs across Goa which need protection.
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Petitioner Avertino Miranda said, “The spring needs protection. Even if there is a Sewage Treatment Plant (STP), the sewage will flow into the spring water. Already the spring water level has reduced to an alarming level after construction activity.”
“We will soon have a meeting to discuss and analyse the report of the Ground Water Board with our legal team and the Oxel residents too,” Miranda said.
Miranda said, “Goa Green Brigade is convinced of having at least 200 metres buffer zone for the spring to ensure its protection.”
Alex Noronha, a resident of Siolim, who is actively involved in the movement to protect the Oxel Spring, said, “The report is bias in supporting construction activity near the spring and will spell doom for the Oxel Spring. This report will have an adverse impact on the springs across Goa that need protection.”
However, at the same time the CGB report stressed the need to exercise caution in the spring shed area for possible anthropogenic factors that may cause pollution or may hamper the spring’s existence.
Anthropogenic means effects, processes, objects, or materials are those that are derived from human activities, as opposed to those occurring in natural environments without human influences. The report has recommended continuous monitoring and surveillance of the spring water for quantity and quality aspects.
The report says, “The surface runoff flows radially away from the Oxel Spring and is located at a distance of 34.50 m from the proposed compound wall of the villa construction site. The groundwater does not flow towards the spring, rather it flows away. Consequently, any construction activity adjacent to the Oxel Spring is unlikely to affect the groundwater flow of the spring or cause contamination of the spring water, given the absence of direct groundwater inflow towards the spring from these areas.”
The report further says, “Moreover, the spring is protected by barriers or protection wall from external contamination. There is no direct groundwater inflow from the construction site to the spring, further minimising the risk of any adverse impact on the spring’s water quality. Considering the above facts, it is concluded that the construction activities near the spring are unlikely to cause any disruption to the spring flow or contamination of the spring water.”
