VERNA: Ambulor Lake or Ambulor Tollem, called colloquially, is the source of the only river originating in Goa, the River Sal. Besides, it provides water for irrigating the fields not only of Verna but also of neighbouring villages like Cansaulim and even Nuvem.
In recent times, with the rapid industrialisation of the Verna plateau, the lake has been threatened. It has further endangered this water body with the local authorities permitting an open-air dance floor close to it.
A shareholder of Verna Comunidade that owns the lake, Joao Philip Pereira stressed the need to protect the lake given its ecological and environmental importance.
“It is indeed unfortunate that despite a strong opposition from locals, the authorities permitted an open-air dance floor to be set up close to this lake,” he rued.
Former chairperson of Verna Biodiversity Management Committee Judith Rebello lamented that the lake is being polluted with sludge and even overflowing septic tanks as construction is near it.
However, Nazia D’Costa, Verna Sarpanch said the Biodiversity Management Committee had met over this issue but refused to divulge what was decided at this meeting.
“We have met some people who would be affected and talked to them about the proposal,” she said while not disclosing how many people would be affected or how many people they had contacted.
Neville Gama, Chairperson of Verna Biodiversity Management Committee while stressing the need to protect the lake expressed concern of its future given the changing demography of the area.
“Personally, I would prefer that the rights of the indigenous people like fishing, managing the sluice gates, etc., should be hardbound and expressly mentioned in the notification,” he said.
He pointed out that there is one house in the buffer zone and one structure where the planks used to close the sluice gates are stored in the same area. There is a fear that these could be changed in the future if their reason is not clearly specified, he said.
Baylon Sequeira Vaz, President of Verna Comunidade said, “The managing committee wants the wetlands to be protected and will stand by the notification.”
However, he regretted that the government is making it difficult for the Comunidade to meet as there is no escrivao or secretary appointed because of which the managing committee cannot officially meet to decide on the matter.
While the government notification states that the lake admeasures 5,393 sq mts. as per Form I & XIV which shows it as Tolem, the total area is 5,625 sq mts of which 5,350 is uncultivable, meaning it is a water body.
As per the notification, 50 mts around the lake will be a buffer zone in an area of 23,887 sq mts comprising 36 survey nos of which 11 are full plots and the rest only part. Besides an area of 3,006 sq mts outside Survey Nos meaning roads and nalla, is part of the buffer zone.
The zone of influence of this lake has part of 78 Survey Nos measuring 14,922 sq mts and 7,624 sq mts of area outside survey nos which are roads and nalla.
