In April 2022, the UN submitted a 2800-page comprehensive third assessment report on how to halt global heating ever produced. The document lists “a litany of broken climate promises”, as “some government and business leaders are saying one thing, but doing another; simply put, they are lying, and the results will be catastrophic”. This was stated by UN chief Antonio Guterres in a severe verdict of governments and industry worldwide. The UN’s Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) has made clear that humanity has less than three years to halt the rise of planet-warming carbon emissions and less than a decade to slash them almost in half, so as to stop global warming and ensure a “liveable future”. It is now or never.
This blistering judgement by the UN chief is based on scientific studies by thousands of researchers globally. These are international scientists speaking on a doomsday not too far. These scientists are only concerned about the conservation of nature for a greener planet. And considering the United Nations strictures, what do our own leaders have to offer? Practically zero on the environmental front, except for a call to promote electrical vehicles. And recent press reports (April 7, 2022) talk about an official decision for the ‘restoration of religious structures’, but offers nothing regarding measures for the conservation and restoration of degraded habitats. The relentless assault on natural ecosystems of Goa continues unabated.
Consider these examples:
(1) St Inez creek is currently under brutal assault. The upstream section of the tidal creek is being dredged indiscriminately. Ancient trees have been uprooted using bull dozers instead of maintaining natural banks with native vegetation. A creek side road is constructed in place of bio-shields. The borders are concretised with vertical retaining walls rather than making revetments. Riparian biodiversity is lost and wild otters have no chance to survive. The width of the waterway is reduced drastically thus converting the heritage natural asset into a built-up man-made artificial canal. The water holding capacity of the water body especially in the event of floods is bound to reduce considerably, resulting in rise in water level, overtopping of banks and inundating the hinterland.
(2) Along Bambolim beach, a high rubble wall is constructed within the intertidal zone under the guise of erosion control. The detrimental impacts of hard structures on the beach are well established: Irreparable topographical alteration, damage to embankments, permanent loss of natural riparian faunal diversity, damage to floral and faunal species during excavation, possible effect on the avian refuge, negative influence on shoreline fisheries, churning waters promotes erosion along hard structures, sediment is transferred towards the sea, deepening of the intertidal area, height and width of beaches is severely reduced.
(3) Panjim city has a prominent wide tidal flat located between the ferry point and the children’s park at Campal. Mud flats along river banks are formed due to continuous deposition of fine sediments in calm areas over a period of time. These zones have a constant supply of nutrients, are rich in biota and act as prolific fishing grounds. Traditionally, this stretch is used as casting grounds for trawling nets over which some locals have fishing rights. Fixed bamboo stakes are seen since decades. The strip is reserved for a series of jetties apparently meant for boarding points for casino clientele. Instead of promoting inland fisheries, the tidal flat is usurped, thus trampling upon the livelihood of traditional fishermen.
(4) The Margao bypass is in doldrums as haphazard reclamation of water bodies continues unabated. Several ecological issues have afflicted this project: (a) Bisecting of Salcete wetland into two; the eastern part will be choked with stagnant water, creating a wasteland with invasive flora. (b) Elimination water bodies as the roadway trespasses lakes, minor water bodies and innumerable ponds; these systems which aid agro-practices will be eliminated. (c) Flooding is a foremost argument that reclamation will aggravate; the antecedent drainage patterns are severely disturbed due to haphazard human activities. (d) Stilts in place of embankments are proposed to minimise flooding. (e) Fate of river Sal is bleak as a lot of mud has deposited in this waterway; it would accommodate excess water if a robust river management plan is formulated. (f) Impacts on flora, fauna and wildlife not known. (g) Need for box culverts every 50 metres is imperative as a wetland can function only if the interchange of water is not hindered.
(5) At Vagator, the massacre of a cliff by a construction is deplorable. A large portion of the natural rocky slopes are cut vertically and concretised down to the water line in the intertidal zone.
It is by no means the intention of this author to target selected examples discussed above. In fact, large scale desecration of natural heritage is presently identified daily at multiple places along and across Goa. Coastal zones are brutalised the most; CRZ violations are routinely noted. A nexus between the political class and the corporate/ builder lobby is glaring. Complaints from citizens are ignored, bureaucrats are silent, most scientists are not willing to offer their views, the police behave selectively and justice often comes late.
Climate change and global warming issues and the scary ‘code red’ alert issued by the United Nations in 2021 do not seem to bother the ruling dispensation.
(Dr Antonio Mascarenhas is a former Scientist, NIO, Goa)
