When was the last time you saw a bird flying in the skies over Panjim? Or for that matter in the skies over Margao, Mapusa, Vasco or Ponda? Except for crows and pigeons, and the twittering sparrow, our towns and their suburbs have fewer and fewer birds. The reason is simple – fewer nesting sites and the growing cacophony of sounds. As trees, bushes and plants are uprooted to open up land for construction, as traffic snarls lead to carbon emissions and loud blowing of horns, the birds have flown to the villages, to the forested areas where they find their peaceful habitat and a more conducive environment to live in.
Less than 72 hours before the calendars change there is no chill in the December weather. The unusually high temperature for this time of the year should have sounded a warning bell about the future of the State but that is apparently not happening. The scarcity of birds and the higher temperatures should be the signs telling us that the climate patterns are changing, but nobody is reading these obvious signs to the biggest environmental threat facing the world today. The government plods along with its ‘development’ plans paying little or no attention to the changes in weather patterns and the flight of the birds that are warning signals. In fact, the signs were there on the first day of the 2015 when it rained, and yes, these were ignored through the year, which is now set to be recorded as the hottest year in history.
If there is one thing that marks 2015, not that the years prior to it were any better in this respect, it is the lack of theoretical understanding of issues and decisions taken that have then led to practical problems in defending them. Take for instance the decision of the government to allot land at Betul to the Union Defence Ministry for the DefExpo. A letter from the ministry to the Chief Minister of Goa with a request for land is all it took for this government to act on releasing land for the DefExpo. There’s been opposition but till date the government has remained unmoved on the issue.
Or the matter of the decision of the Investment Promotion Board to permit the tourism project on Vanxim island in the River Mandovi that has the potential to snowball into a major issue. For years this project remained on hold, until the IPB decided to approve it. Or still, the government’s approval of an ordinance to permit eco-friendly tourism projects in eco-sensitive zones that essentially are protected areas. This has already drawn opposition from environmentalists and other political parties, but there has been no response from the government.
All three instances are examples of how the government is turning a deaf ear to the voice of the people or failing to read the warning signs that environmental changes can lead to climate changes. The State remains closed to any new ideas, alternatives or possibilities, especially on the environment front, that are advanced by civil society. They are being resisted. There is no open mind for discussion and debate.
It is unfortunate that more attention is paid to politicking than to these pressing issues. The year saw two elections – the Zilla Parishad polls in March and the elections to the 11 municipal councils in October. The results of both showed a slight shift in the State’s electoral politics and much time was spent on discussing this. Yet, it brought about no change in governance.There may not be reason yet for panic, but there is definitely cause for concern. What is most pressing and of concern here is enforcing the existing Coastal Regulation Zone regulations and protecting the eco-sensitive zones of the State. Can the government of Goa ensure this? Simple as it may sound, it is unlikely to figure in the government’s agenda for the coming year.
The coming year 2016 should be when these issues, and others related to the environment and climate change, are discussed, debated and solutions found and implemented. But next year a lot of time is going to be spent on discussing the 2017 elections and the government will weigh the political consequences of any decision it will be taking in the next 12 months. So while it should actually be looking at addressing the environmental consequences of its policy and development decisions, it will actually be calculating the votes to be gained or lost with every decision it takes. Harsh decisions that may not be acceptable to the ‘development’ hungry sections are unlikely to be taken in the coming year. In the run-up to the polls it is unlikely that the government, any government for that matter, will be willing to take such decisions. That actually means that there is little hope that there will be any drastic changes in policy that will protect and preserve the environment in the State.
Unfortunately, with the birds having disappeared from our towns, today’s children and future generations will have to depend totally on books, photographs, the television and the internet to see the birds their parents and grandparents saw in their gardens and backyards. That is what the future holds for Goa if the government does not act now on these simple truths of climate change and environment protection.
(Alexandre Moniz Barbosa is Executive Editor of Herald)
