Since the liberation of Goa in December 1961, successive governments have never ever understood the vital strengths and the core competence of Goans. The political class in power over the last 60 years never understood fully or exploited holistically the richness of Goan biodiversity and the bounties of Goa’s ecosystem. Neither did the Goans react and revolt over the wayward march of the powerful political class, who were led by the economic mafia of that period of time, capable of manipulating Goan voters and the electoral results to their “vested interest”. This malaise of “bad governance” of Goa is still a sad reality even today.
Goan politicians, from 1979 to 2019 in particular, and those of us Goans living in Goa during this period are the main culprits of the decay and degradation of Goa over the above period.
May I recall the bus owners lobby, the natural resource exploitation lobby, the real estate sharks, those involved in planning of mega housing projects, hotels and gated complexes, the casinos lobby, the coal handlers, the drug mafia infesting our coastal belt dishing out alcohol laced with drug, supported by loud and deafening music have all in all destroyed Goa and devastated the Goans. Volumes can be written over how Goa is facing its ultimate doom due the combined ill effects of menace created by all the above enumerated factors. However, I will exclude mining, transport, real estate, destruction of aquifers and forests, mega projects, polluting industrial estates, weakened agricultural development and unscientific growth of tourism in Goa for subsequent essays and concentrate solely on Mandovi and Zuari river pollution and its destruction, which thus is denying the future generations of Goa the goodness of our rivers but also denying our children the richness of the fascinating marine resources and genetic biodiversity for eternity.
We as children were fortunate to be able to take a dip in our sacred rivers. In the seventies and up to 1990, River Mandovi was brimming with aquatic life. We could see, children swimming across from Betim to Panjim. It was pleasant, refreshing and exhilarating. The healthy Mandovi gave rise to healthy Goans all before our “dazzled eyes”. Let alone the tasty rock dwelling fish, there were crabs, oysters, mussels, clams and prawns. Goa in general, and Panjimites in particular were able to consume, fresh, nutritious bounties from both our estuaries. Sadly, Goans have allowed the Captain of Ports, Goa’s prime accused, for killing Mandovi and denying Goans of marine resources and omega fatty acids and healthy oils. CoP is the main destroyer of Mandovi river front and the decay and deterioration of all the Goan rivers. Since I am focusing on the life line rivers of Goa – the Mandovi and Zuari, I will leave the rivers –Tiracol, Chapora, Mapusa, Sal, Talpona, and Galgibaga — with their tributaries for yet another presentation. Today, Mandovi river is laden with sewage and floating faeces. Ever since the casinos and cruise boats have laced our rivers, specifically the Mandovi.
The CoP like a headless jumping chicken, has been thoughtlessly issuing licences, without giving any consideration as to how, due to his negligence, central Panjim is in chaos. Naturally we do not get a smart Panjim as casino goers and cruise boat revelers, do not carry their garbage in their pockets but dump it into the Mandovi and across the streets of Panjim, thus foul odours, from open urination, defecation and the dumped garbage, attributed primarily to the negligent ways of CoP and the BJP politicians certifying these “floating satanic vessels” and destroying the river front systematically and regularly.
Indeed, Goa State Pollution Control Board only blesses these irregularities by allowing sewage tankers to load, a portion of the sewage and discretely discharge it in St Inez creek. What is appalling is the frightening announcement made by the CoP. They have understood fully that the people of Panjim and of Goa in general are the least concerned lot about the growing cases of cancer, skin infections and enteric ailments. Hence CoP, like Nero, has proposed an Rs 28 crore building, right in front of the Panjim jetty, thus catalysing the destruction of the jetty.
CoP has allotted the spacious public space; be it in the building which houses the public centric fisheries department to the casino lobby.
Today, Goa is extremely rich in pseudo green environmentalists or extortionists. We have in Goa an acute shortage of trained, working scientists, specialised in field and laboratory oriented research programmes.
This is extremely relevant as scientific data is vital to nail down the guilty, responsible for the destruction of Goa through scientific publication in science journals, which courts in India would accept and nail the guilty plunders of Goa.
People must realise that the current governments at the Centre and in Goa particularly has starved Universities and Research institutions of the much needed research project funding. The conducting of Environment Impact Assessment studies is non-existent in Goa and faulty projects are bulldozed into this fragile ecosystem. The research studies of apportionment of pollutants carried out by IIT, Mumbai is a great sham. The coal polluters and IIT students have worked in tandem to ensure a clean chit is furnished to the coal handling process.
Briefly, the studies were carried out when coal handing was at the grinding halt at a time when the weather was calm and the winds moving landwards was absent. How can we apportion pollution in the absence of the coal handing? GSPCB has sold Goa’s interests to mega coal handlers.
Do we have a single research publication to justify the authenticity of GSPCB through publications in scientific journals? Today Goa is like the kingdom of the blind, with one eyed jack, who poses as a king. Wake up Goans before it is too late.
(The writer is a Retired University Professor and an Environmental Activist)
