Kill it, that’s what govts want to do to the creek

BY DR NANDKUMAR KAMAT The solution given to the pollution in the St Inez creek is amateurish and diversionary with the aim to concretize the creek and take it out as a natural body from CRZ regulations. The authorities are scared to admit it as a tidally regulated creek as then it will be covered under the CRZ regulations. The question to be asked is: If oxygenated normally and natural tidal flow is not restored then what would happen? Ammonia, Methane and Hydrogen Sulphide would aerate Santa Inez-Tonca for the next four months. These obnoxious gases would bleach vegetation and damage the lungs of children and induce respiratory distress. Incidences of lung and stomach cancers would rise in this belt. Groundwater and well water would turn black and smell of rotten eggs. Old lead water supply pipes would carry dangerous lead sulphide precipitate. Building foundations would corrode and rusting would accelerate. Disinterested and indifferent local residents in this area are responsible for this situation despite warnings issued four years ago. The concretization project under the garb of beautification is aimed to convert the natural, soft bottomed thousands of years old tidal creek into an urban canal cum open gutter. The reason is so as to avoid provisions of CRZ as it helps everyone to change the original character of the creek to a manmade canal. Governments have been doing everything to kill the creek to escape CRZ regulations. That is why even NIO is silent on it. This creek is actually estuarine, saline, tidal part of Nagali or Taleigao River which originates in the spring behind Santeri temple, Nagali, Taleigao. The freshwater channel ends below the culvert over the old sluice gate at Tonca, Kamrabhat. The tidal part then begins from Kamrabhat and splits near the fire station. The freshwater part sustained over 200 hectares of fertile land in Caranzalem and Taleigao for thousands of years. The sluice gate was built by the comunidade of Taleigao. Today, this traditional irrigation system lies in ruins. The estuarine part which came to be known in the middle of the 20th century as St Inez creek was highly productive in fish and shellfish till a sewage treatment plant came up in 1973 on the banks. Therefore, the creek is now facing a conspiracy of forces and the end would come with the so called beautification project. The panchayat of Taleigao or the Corporation of the City of Panaji don’t own and have no jurisdiction over the creek. Under the Irrigation Act, 1973, the creek comes under WRD and it is the WRD which killed it. Except for a few people like Dr Antonio Mascarenhas, Dr Waman Parab and me, there is little support from among the rich Panjim urbanites for eco-restoration because people don’t like to be regulated by CRZ if the creek flows unhindered and normally and the court enforces the necessary setbacks. So Urban Panjim would prefer “beautification” and conversion of what they like to call a “Nullah” into an RCC and stone lined canal decked with beautiful sidewalks etc. But the price would be heavy during the monsoons.