MARGAO: Navelim locals gathered at the Salpem Lake on Monday to protest against the construction of the Western Bypass and the speed at which the construction work was taking place without paying heed to their objections.
During the protests, the villagers pointed out that the road passed through low-lying fields, ponds and the Salpem Lake.
Inacio Vaz warned that the situation, if not corrected, would lead to floods similar to the ones that devastated Chennai, and that all houses in Nagmodem and Sinquetim would get flooded.
Cruz Rodrigues said that irrigational canals had been destroyed and that fields had been acquired for a buffer zone for the STP in the area, but now the government was building a huge 80 mts bypass.
Sidharth Karapurkar said that the road looked like a runway and alleged that it was being built at the behest of the Mopa airport bidder. He lamented that the government was not taking into consideration the views of the people and questioned how a city could have a bypass road of 80 metres.
Earlier, Melwyn Pereira, on behalf of ‘Concerned Citizens of Navelim’, submitted a memorandum to the National Highway Authority of India (NHAI) with a demand to immediately stop the destruction of the lake and flood plains in Salcete.
The memorandum was also sent to the Chief Secretary, minister of environment and forests, Goa State Biodiversity Board, Water Resources Department, and PWD with a request to immediately stop the ongoing works to prevent the catastrophic and irreversible destruction of numerous villages.
“It is observed that you have illegally dumped truckloads of mud in Salpem Lake and low-lying fields in our village, thereby violating numerous laws. The lake is a heritage lake that is used by large numbers of migratory waterfowl and India is bound to protect their habitat as a signatory to the International Conventions. Salpem Lake and the low-lying fields of Navelim have the highest eco-sensitivity among all Goan lands and are also the most important resources for flood prevention and food security of our village,” reads the memorandum.
It continued, “The authorities are directed to immediately stop all works of filling or modifying the banks and body of Salpem Lake, failing which we will have to use all constitutional options to stop the destruction of the food security of our village. Your attention is drawn to the serious environmental, economic and social destruction that will result due to the proposed destruction of the lake and low-lying fields, and that you do not have the mandatory permissions for such projects.”
The villagers also demanded that the authorities be contacted for a meeting with the citizens.
as they claimed the NHAI did not have scientific understanding or knowledge to determine the impact of the proposed destruction of the Salpem lake and low-lying fields of Navelim.
“Your ongoing works are equally destructive to the water bodies and paddy fields in the villages of Nuvem, Seraulim, Benaulim, Margao, Dramapur-Sirlim, Chinchinim and Sarzora. You are therefore directed to also immediately stop the ongoing works related to the NH-17 bypass in those villages until you have the permissions like Environmental Clearance, CRZ permissions, Biodiversity Board approvals, WRD approvals for loss of lake area, command area, flood protection resources and ground water resources (separate approvals for each issue) for the entire length of the proposed bypass and widening works,” said the Pereira in the memorandum.
