Is it our neglect and decadence that is killing the River Sal?

GUILHERME ALMEIDA

teamherald@herald-goa.com

 MARGAO: It has no voice and certainly does not have any vote to merit attention from the political class who are already gearing for the polls in right earnest. Though the pollution levels in River Sal, have reached alarming proportions, don’t be surprised if you do not find any mention of the issue in election manifestos of individual candidates and political parties in the coming Assembly polls.

The river Sal originates in Verna in Nuvem constituency and meanders through the constituencies of Margao, Benaulim Navelim and Velim before flowing into the Arabian seat at Betul. But, the gradual destruction and decay of the river, once considered Salcete’s life line, over the years have not attracted attention it deserves either at the government level, the ministerial level nor has it been taken up by individual MLAs who represent these constituencies.

Social activist, Abhijit  Prabhudessai, laments, “River Sal epitomizes Salcete taluka covering most of the assembly constituencies. This river is the life line of Salcete. Any further destruction would have disastrous consequences along the river course. Protection of River Sal should top the priority list of politicians from this taluka”.

River Sal indeed is craving attention from the government. If over exploitation of water resources in the Verna area for industrial use has affected water flow in the river, discharge of sewage waters along the Margao course has left the river polluted. The river embankments are crumbling for want of maintenance, leaving the river course resemble a nullah at many stretches. Tons of waste finds its way in the river in the absence of waste disposal facilities in the villages and the town along the river course, while the water hyacinth weed appears to have made the river their home signalling the presence of sewage in the water.

Activist Orlando Da Silva, resident of Carmona narrates, “As a child, I have grown up along the banks of the river. The river was a rich source of local variety of fish, but, is now craving for attention. The government should come up with an action plan to save the river from further destruction. The time has come for the politicians to accord priority for the river in their manifestos”.

That the government has no plan worth mention to tackle pollution of the river is best evident from the fact that it is yet to put in place any action plan to save the river despite receiving damning report from an expert, revealing acute contamination of the river waters by unregulated discharge of waste water.

Sidharth Karapurkar an activist from Navelim says, “River Sal is the only river which originates in Goa and ends in the state. It is indeed sad that the river is reduced to a nullah at many stretches. It’s the bounden duty of the politicians from Salcete to see the river is protected”.