Team Herald
MARGAO: The issue of mud embankment passing through ponds and low-lying areas in Mungul continues to antagonise residents and environmentalists alike. The latest in their long list of complaints following the land-filling, is the presence of various forms of waste materials on this muddy stretch. It is the contention of those living in the surrounding villages that the waste material will contaminate the water bodies and the groundwater in the area.
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While the plan of government is to build the western bypass on stilts upon this mud embankment, Mungul locals are not happy with the manner in which the work has been executed, as it has filled a pond and a stretch of wetlands in the area.
In June, the locals had complained about a black substance from the mud road seeping into the pond. There were apprehensions that recycled material was used for the mud embankment, given the black leachate flowing from it before the monsoon, and waste material getting washed up after the spell of heavy rain.
Locals have demanded that an environmental impact study be conducted to evaluate the effects of the waste material and black substance on this pond at Mungul.
Locals had also questioned why the pond and low-lying areas were being filled as they had feared the catchment area would be damaged and the area would flood during the rains. While the western bypass in Mungul and Seraulim is being built on stilts, locals had found fault with the manner in which the wetlands on either side of the Colva Beach road were filled up, and pointed out that the entire exercise of building the bypass on stilts was to preserve these low-lying areas and water bodies.
Their fears were realised during the heavy rains of the past two weeks, when various parts of Benaulim were flooded. These low-lying areas at Mungul, Seraulim and near the wholesale fish market at Fatorda were flooded, with no space for the water to flow out, as their natural pathway to River Sal was blocked. The mud embankment was completely submerged under water.
“The filling of the pond (at Mungul) just pains me as we fail to learn from our past experiences of just how detrimental it is to fill these ponds and low-lying areas, to build a bypass. I’m intrigued by the black substance along with the mud that has been used to fill the pond, and it doesn’t look good to me at all. This pond used to be thriving with living organisms, and it now seems to be dead, already,” said Joed Almeida, Colva resident.
This issue comes against the backdrop of the battle being fought by the residents of Benaulim where the western bypass is being constructed through the low-lying areas, and not on stilts.
“There is a need to re-think the entire plan of the western bypass. In Benaulim, it is not being built on stilts as the government believes there would not be any flooding, but within a few days of heavy rains, the area was flooded. Here in Mungul, it is being built on stilts and here too, the area was inundated with water. Our concerns of pollution and damage to biodiversity and to the farmers are just ignored,” said Gilbert Fernandes, an environmentalist.
