TEAM HERALD
MARGAO: Activists have raised eyebrows over what they called as the concretization of the Nayaband water body at Cuncolim.
In his petition, activist Ronny Dias has urged the Goa State Bio-diversity Board and the Goa State Urban Development Agency to stop the ongoing “concretization” of the Nayaband water body saying the work is being carried out in violation of Article 21 of the Indian Constitution.
He pointed out to the two agencies that only natural material can be used for the construction of the embankments of the water body, such as laterite stones, rubble, mud and silt.
Dias said the concretization of the river bank is actually constructing a retaining wall against an existing retaining wall, thus encroaching into the river by a meter. “Embankments of fresh water bodies must be built with earthen and natural materials such as rubble, laterite stones and mud in order to maintain the quality of the water and the biodiversity and ecological balance that are most important for the health of the water body,” he said.
Moreover, he pointed that a natural land water interface is essential for the upkeep of the quality of the water, healthy growth of flora ad fauna and for the recharge of groundwater in the neighbouring lands.
