The dumping of mud for the construction of a temporary road through agricultural fields in Guirim by the Water Rersources Department and Goa Electricity Department has sparked concern among local farmers and the Guirim Comunidade.
Tulio D’Souza, President of the Guirim Comunidade, stated that although permission had been granted to the electricity department to erect high-tension transmission towers in fields, it was given on the condition that no inconvenience or damage would be caused to farmers or the farmland.
“The mud is being dumped during monsoon when the fields are full of water, and it is now spreading to all the surrounding fields. We all know that during monsoon, the entire Guirim gets flooded because all the waterways are blocked,” D’Souza told reporters on Saturday.
With fears of further flooding mounting, the comunidade’s attorney wrote to the Executive Engineer of the Electricity Department, Division IX, on July 22. The letter raised objections over the “haphazard” manner in which the ongoing work was being executed, claiming it was leading to waterlogging and hardship for local farmers.
In response, the Executive Engineer acknowledged on the same day that the work had originally been scheduled for May, but was delayed due to “very heavy pre-monsoon rains” in Goa this year. He justified the urgency to proceed with the work despite the rains, citing project deadlines. However, he assured the comunidade that the land would be restored to its original state once the tower installations were completed.
“The mud road constructed to the tower locations are purely on a temporary basis and we assure you that on completion of the work the land will be restored to its original condition,” the Executive Engineer stated.
Despite this assurance, comunidade members remain sceptical. “How will they remove the mud after it settles in all the surrounding fields?” they questioned, expressing concern that the temporary damage may have lasting consequences for the agricultural land.