02 Jun 2023  |   06:45am IST

Mhadei deep dive: Sand mining, tree felling, forest burning, Herald finds it all in an in-depth ground report

Green activists, sand protectors shocked to see Herald TV’s ground report exposing the absolute destruction of the Mhadei Wildlife Sanctuary; in the river, the fish stock has completely depleted

HERMAN AGNELO GOMES

VALPOI: Even as agitations after agitations are being held in Goa to ensure the precious waters of River Mhadei are not diverted to Karnataka, an in-depth investigation by Herald TV has revealed how the majestic Mhadei Wildlife Sanctuary and its surrounding areas are being butchered right, left and centre. 

Herald TV over the last few days camped, investigated and even verified how illicit activities are being carried out in the pristine forests of Mhadei and its river. From forest patches being burnt and cleared, to illegal sand mining and even the entry of forest guards being banned inside the green lungs of Goa, she is not spared.

TREES ARE BURNT AND BARKS THROWN INTO THE SURGING RIVER, CASH CROPS ARE SOWN IN THE EMPTY SPACES

Patches of trees within the forests, some of them endemic too, are first burnt by unknown people. Then, during the onset of the monsoons, when the mighty River Mhadei roars, the dead barks are chopped and thrown into the gushing waters as they make their way downstream. 

Then a bunch of urchins use the empty forest grounds to grow low-yielding cash crops such as cashew apples and areca nuts.  Herald TV has visited two such spots, one within the vicinity of a hill with multiple bee hives - an important catalyst for the growth of local ecosystems. The other was the spot where a patch was burnt.

ILLEGALLY MINED SAND FOUND ON RIVER BANK READY TO BE SOLD

Secondly, Herald TV’s investigative team trekked across multiple areas around the  Mhadei sanctuary and discovered how heaps and heaps of sand, illegally mined, both in large and small quantities were found along the river banks. 

All of this is sifted, and ready to be sold to the highest bidder at a premium, minus any regulation - for the local real estate 

lobby, perhaps?

FRESH TYRE MARKS OF TRUCKS AND FOUR-WHEELERS FOUND INSIDE A PROTECTED SANCTUARY

Furthermore, Herald TV came across fresh tyre marks of trucks and other four-wheelers within some parts of the sanctuary.

It revealed rampant abuse and exploitation. 

In the absence of monitoring systems and the almost invisible presence of forest guards, Mhadei is being looted and plundered. Videographic evidence with Herald TV also shows how trucks in broad daylight were shifting sand from the river.