TEAM HERALD
MARGAO: The Village Groups of Goa have urged the government to strengthen institutions such as the Goa Pollution Board, health department to ensure that they are held accountable, even as the VGG have called for allocation of funds towards environmental education of citizens at the grass root level, both the adult and the school child.
The VGG has further suggested to the government to assess its resources and capacity and ensure that development is sustainable and that whatever now remains of Goa’s eco-environmental image and character is not irreparably disfigured. “If the Government and the people who are mere temporary custodians of our land do not wake up now, we will soon wake up to an eco-catastrophe and the ‘Emerald of the Orient’ will just be a term in some history book,” asserted Zarina Da Cunha of Village Groups of Goa.
On World Environment Day, she said that Village Groups of Goa (VGG) affirm its support to the cause of protection of ecology and environment of the world in general. On this day, it is also an opportune moment for us to reiterate our stand and focus on eco-environmental issues of our own State of Goa.
“Goa was once known as the ‘Emerald of the Orient’. How so true! With its lush green paddy fields and undulating hills, rivers that meander through forests and valleys, with little ponds and lakes nestling in between the villages, it is again the 105 km gold and silver coastline that garlands the pristine landscape. But since the last two decades, this pristine landscape lies marred, causing substantial environmental damage to land, water and air,” she said.
Zarina said from the inception, the VGG group, has been battling against many odds, with the declared objective to protect the land and environment of the State. “But despite our numerous humble but resolute efforts to pinpoint and stop environmental degradation, we are seeing increased instances of violations across the State: the cutting of sand dunes, release of untreated sewage into nullahs, rivers and the sea, filling of low lying fields, and large unsustainable projects in villages. CRZ areas are abuzz with construction activity. What is worse is that the authorities and powers that be turn a blind eye to all this blatant and brazen violations,” she added.
