MARGAO: The Water Resources Department (WRD) has come under fire from social activists and environmentalists for allegedly destroying biodiversity under the guise of de-silting River Sal. Farmers in Salcete have also expressed outrage over the WRD’s handling of the de-silting process, claiming that it has put the region’s rich biodiversity at risk.
Zarina D’Cunha, a social activist, questioned why the WRD did not inform the local biodiversity committees before beginning the de-silting process. “It is surprising to note that the concerned authority has not taken any consent from the locals, stakeholders, farmers and members of the biodiversity committees before starting with what they called the de-silting of the river Sal in Nuvem and other places. The contractor is just uprooting the trees, causing destruction to the biodiversity,” she said.
As a member of the Biodiversity committee of Nuvem, D’Cunha expressed disappointment that they were not informed beforehand. She claimed that crocodiles, reptiles, and bird life have been disturbed or destroyed due to the de-silting work. D’Cunha demanded that scientific methods be applied to de-silt the river and criticized the WRD for not supervising the work. “Just because machines are available, they cannot be used indiscriminately. We want to know what is happening, when, and why,” she said.
Several farmers, including Jose Roque Andrade, the Chairman of the Nuvem Biodiversity Committee, have spoken out against the contractor’s reckless behaviour. Decades ago, the freshwater stretch of River Sal from Verna to Comba, Margao, was abundant with fish stocks and was even safe for drinking. However, the ongoing de-silting work has put the region’s biodiversity in peril.
Environmentalists are now urging the government to intervene and halt the de-silting process until proper consultation with bundh owners and farmers can take place.
The destruction of biodiversity should not be the price for de-silting the river, they say.
