MARGAO: Several farmers in Salcete are furious with the Water Resources Department’s “disastrous” handling of the de-silting of River Sal, which they claim has endangered the region’s rich biodiversity. According to local farmers, the contractor responsible for the project has not consulted with them or owners of bundhs along the banks of River Sal, and has been clearing the river’s banks without regard for the destruction it could cause.
Jose Roque Andrade, the Chairman of the Nuvem Biodiversity Committee and a farmer himself, spoke out against the reckless behaviour of the contractor. “The concerned contractor has executed the de-silting of River Sal in Nuvem without informing any farmers or bundh owners, and has uprooted the trees with excavators. This is bound to cause erosion and the bundh will disappear, like it did 20 years ago at Chicalem Bar in Duncolim village.” He recalled that back then also, heavy machinery was used to uproot the trees growing alongside the bundhs, in addition to the mud and silt, and within two years, the bundh collapsed into the river.
“River Sal is the life of Salcete, especially the freshwater stretch from Verna to Comba, Margao. Around 65 years ago, people used to drink the water and fish stocks were abundant,” he said.
Andrade asserted that the cause of the river’s current state is not natural, but man-made. “During the rainy season, people never witnessed floods like they do nowadays, as this situation is a man-made disaster. We cannot blame the river,” he said, warning that the ongoing project, which is being carried out without any engineering supervision, is once again threatening the biodiversity of the river.
Farmers are urging the government to intervene and halt the ongoing work until proper consultation with bundh owners and farmers can take place. With the Chief Minister’s recent promise in the Assembly to rejuvenate the highly-contaminated River Sal, farmers are calling on the government to ensure that their concerns are taken seriously, and that the region’s natural ecosystem is protected from further damage.
