Karsten Miranda
karsten@herald-goa.com
AMDAI (SANGUEM): Last Sunday morning, the villagers of Amdai took a walk down a steep slope to check out the traditional bandhara (check dam which raise water levels of rivers and make river water flow into channels)* and the surrounding sweet water lake. It could well be one of their last remaining walks on this stretch that once felt like home.
The bhandara is located a few hundred meters away from Vani Agro farm and the entrance to the bhandara is a narrow mud access. There is some excitement in the village as several locals started walking down the path they have walked for generations now. They pass some villagers who are returning from the lake and when they pass each other in the middle of this path and greet each other, they jokingly talk about how these trips are perhaps the last they can make to ‘their lake’. With a sense of resignation and despondency the villagers quip that in their future they will only be to tell their children tales about how they used the lake and how beautiful it is.
The lake is worthy of a post-card that can rival any river based tourist destination. The sweet water is clean and clear so much so that you can see the stones on the river bed and the depth of the river.
At a little distance, is a local farmer who has come down to the lake for a wash and is seen splashing water on his face to beat the scorching heat.
The locals point out that the bhandara for years is an essential part of the water supply for the village. They point to an odd square slab that has been put on the rocks near the banks of the river and allege that this slab has been put by Vani Agro as part of their plans to draw water from the bhandara and that if this is allowed, locals will be denied access to the bhandara.
The Scheduled Tribe community has been living at Amdai since times immemorial, which is Ward 10 of Sanguem Municipal Council. The ward is located on prime agricultural lands on the northern bank of River Uguem just before it meets River Salaulim at Sanguem and we are totally dependent on agriculture for our sustenance. River Uguem and the ground water aquifers below our ward are the primary source of our livelihood, since our agriculture is totally dependent on these local water resources.
“The water resources available locally are just enough for the needs of the present users after taking care of the ecological needs of the river and the region,” said Prakash Gaonkar, a local councillor.
One of the elders of the village, 80-year- old Mahadev Kidu Goankar recalls how the bhandara and the sweet water lake was a part of their lives for generations. He said, “Once the beer factory comes up, access to the bhandara will be blocked. On the other side, the two natural water ways from the Uguem river, which connect to the Vani Agro Farm will be cut.
Two elderly women in the village, Lata and Neeta Gaonkar point out how there was a natural ancient water access to their fields that has now been blocked. They walk towards two large stones that are located at the side of this natural waterway nullah and wonder why the agriculture department is not looking into this. “These stones were used as scrubbing surfaces set up near the water supply source and have been used by the women of the village to wash clothes. The stones even have a distinct white colour on its surface, marks left behind from the use of soap and detergent on them,” said Lata.
Most of the houses in Amdai house joint families were there and around a dozen children playing around the house and their grandparents who need looking after. While some of the houses now have made arrangements to wash their clothes at home, the other women are forced to walk all the way to the river under the Nandulem Bridge and wash their clothes on the bank of the river.
Interestingly these houses are located opposite the property of Vani Agro and it is separated only by a small road. “We don’t have proper water supply yet you can imagine how we feel when we can see two water taps in their property just near the road. Why has the government not provided enough public taps for the village? Forget domestic use, they will provide for them in an instant while we will have to wait for months” said Nanu Bhandolkar who was been part of the agitation.
Interestingly besides the water supply complaints, the neighbouring residents are upset over the presence of a CCTV camera attached to a pole in the property opposite and complain that now their right to privacy has also been violated. It is frightening for the women of the house to leave and enter as they are constantly under watch,” lamented Neeta.
Mahadev Kidu Goankar’s words sums up the mood at Amdai “Our own government is rolling out the red carpet for Vani Agro even though they will displace and disrupt villager’s lives by cutting off water supply”.
And what will be buried under this carpet is their peaceful, plentiful life of unlimited water and fertile fields. And unlimited acres of a fertile crop called goenkarpon.
