Pernem’s unguarded laterite stone quarries are open death traps

PERNEM: Four years after Tuem tragedy, wherein four school students met a watery grave in a laterite stone quarry filled with rainwater, it appears that the authorities concerned have not taken lessons from the incident and have failed to fence the abandoned ones in Pernem taluka.

Till date no strict action has been initiated by the State government to fence these quarries. 

The Tuem tragedy took place in September 2019. From 2017 to 2022, five persons aged between 19 and 25 years including a Russian national got drowned in the laterite stone quarries.

Despite these tragic incidents, the authorities have failed to fence even a single quarry. Forget barricading them, the authorities have also failed to install signboards warning the people of the dangers except for one or two.

With no fence or barricade around them, these quarries are filled with rainwater and pose danger to humans. These quarries are attracting youth, who visit the site for a swim.

Only a few are barricaded, but over 80 per cent of them are left open. There is no action forthcoming from the authorities concerned and the owners, who illegally carried out laterite stone mining, have left these quarries open posing a grave threat to the residents especially the youth. 

As per the Mining Rules, the owners are duty-bound to fill the quarries with mud and restore the land to its original state after mining and fence them as a precautionary measure. However, the owners have failed to adhere to these rules as more illegal laterite stone quarries continue to operate.

The Water Resources Department (WRD) in consultation with Goa State Biodiversity Board were to carry out bio-fencing around nine such abandoned laterite stone quarries in Pernem taluka which includes planting of trees or shrubs suitable to the area to cover them, however till date nothing has happened.

“The incident where four school students lost their lives was an eye-opener for the authorities but as time passed on, the authorities failed to act. The incident took place in September 2019, but it appears that the government is not serious in initiating any action. The quarries are left open for animals and people to fall prey,” a Tuem resident said.

There are several legal and illegal quarries in Pernem taluka, which are left open and pose danger.