mpact on surrounding villages
The bays of Vasco, Chicalim, Sancoal, Nauxim, Siridao, Dona-Paula etc were marked as eco-sensitive zones in the Gadgil report. However, MPT claims that the nearest eco-sensitive area is at Salim Ali National Park. “We have seen what happened in Kerala during the floods. All the areas marked as eco-sensitive areas in his report were severely affected”, said a speaker at the hearing.
“The Consultant and MPT have conducted shoreline studies only of Vasco Beach. There are several other beaches in the 10km study area such as Velsao beach which is getting eroded. Why was no shoreline study conducted on the other beaches? They are getting eroded because of the dredging”, claimed Olensio Simoes, General Secretary of Goemchea Raponkaracho Ekvott
“In the EIA report, it is stated that Grand-Island which is a coral habitat is 7 km away from the port. This is a lie. The aerial distance of Grand Island is 3 kms from the proposed site as confirmed by NIO”, said Olensio during the hearing.
The EIA report failed to identify many species in the 10 km study area. “The EIA report does not make any mention of window-pane oysters found in Sancoal bay which is a protected schedule-1 species”, said Dinesh Dias during the hearings.
Amateurs point out flaws in EIA report prepared by experts
Dinesh also pointed out another critical flaw in the jetty design. The fishing jetty along with the auction sheds and other infrastructure is proposed at a height of around 3.5 meters above the water level. MPT claimed that this height is based on expert recommendations.
“Recently we had a surge during high tide where the sea level rose to more than 4.3 meters destroying shacks along the beach. The present jetty was not affected since it is at the corner had has sufficient height. Such surges are happening every year. Will MPT take responsibility if the water level goes above the level of the jetty and enters the shed and destroys their catch and equipment?”, asked Dinesh. Clearly, MPT will not take any responsibility for the flaw in their design.
But this was not the first design flaw that affects the fishing community. Ever wonder why the Vasco beach eroded from, as Abhijit Prabhudesai put it, the length of a football field to a cricket pitch?
It has been known for a long time that after berths 10 and 11 were constructed and the adjoining riverbed was dredged, the sand along the beach started getting eroded faster than it was replenished. “The wall of the berths has caused the water from the berths to the beach to move circular currents clockwise motion. In the EIA document, the consultant has called eddy currents.”, said Olensio Simoes.
Before the wall, the current of the water entering and leaving the Zuari river would move in a linear motion. But when there is turbulence due to any obstruction, eddy currents are formed that erodes the beach. “This is why the western side of the beach next to the berths 10 and 11 has been eroded more than the eastern side. Now that the pier will come in the middle of the beach, this will create eddy currents on the eastern side of the beach and erode it too. In 10 years, there won’t be any beach left”, says Olensio.
Another component of the project, the dredging of the breakwater berth to the east of MPT’s port area poses a threat to the Sada plateau. Savio Correia had raised this issue but MPT Chief Engineer denied that the dredging activity will damage the Sada plateau. It was pointed out that deep cracks were forming along the road leading to the Chowgule office, east of the breakwater and that MPT had even dumped huge rubble stones to stabilise the plateau wall. But MPT denied any threat to the plateau stating that they had dredged up to 19 meters last year but nothing has happened.
Grim Future for traditional fishermen of Vasco beach
“The proposed project has put the future of canoe operators and traditional fishermen in danger because they haven’t considered canoe fishing operations in the project even though they are taking over our beach”, said Custodio D’Souza, President of Old Cross Canoe owners association.
An official from Ultra-tech Labs, the consultant that prepared the EIA report was asked whether he had done a survey of the Canoe operators and whether all the canoes can be accommodated on the remaining part of the Vasco beach once the project comes up. His response was that all the canoes will not be on the beach all the time. “Some of the canoes will be in the water”, he responded.
While the audience laughed at his ignorance, his response revealed the lack of knowledge and understanding that these experts have of local traditional fishermen. “During monsoon, all the boats have to be brought up on the beach. Currently, there are around 150 canoes and the beach cannot accommodate more than 200 canoes. If half the beach are is diverted for the project, the remaining part of the beach will be able to accommodate only around 60 canoes.”, said Custodio.
Custodio informed that MPT called them for a meeting with Gadkari and the State Government to sign an MOU along with other trawler association for the construction of a new jetty. “How can you expect us to sign an MOU on the spot. Will anyone sign an MOU without understanding the plan or consulting a lawyer? ”, he questioned the MPT.
“The MOU which was signed between MPT and two other trawler associations where MPT proposed a fishing jetty along with the liquid cargo berth. But this MOU was not notarised and not signed by one party which is Old Cross association. Does it have any validity? The entire project is planned on the basis of the MOU but the MOU is not worth the paper it is written on”, said Savio Correia during the hearing.
From the Fire into the Frying Pan
Currently, the jetty on which the trawlers operate on a jetty which is owned by the State Government. “The proposed jetty will be owned by MPT and they can remove the trawlers whenever they want by citing security reasons”, said Dinesh Dias of Salvador Do Mundo.
Dinesh has a valid point. The EIA document states that “the fishing jetty being close to MPT berths, trawlers venture very close to the merchant ships which are a serious safety as well as a security hazard. As Mormugao Port is ISPS compliant it is difficult to maintain such a situation in long terms. It is therefore proposed to shift existing fish landing platform to another location.”
Does the current project solve the issue of security? Olensio Simoes says no. “A 3 meter wall is all that separates the fishing trawlers and the hazardous cargo. We expected that only a dedicated fishing jetty would be built for our fishermen so that the fishing jetty would be far away from the hazardous cargo. The propose jetty does not solve anything. Instead, the jetty is being handed over to MPT and then our fishermen will have no say. The entire jetty has to be owned and controlled by the State Government”, said Olensio Simoes.
Another issue that was raised was the possible traffic congestion. Since the LPG, ATF, Ammonia, Phosphorous and other tankers will share a 15 meter road along with passenger vehicles, fish trucks, container and cargo trucks, MPT should have done a study on the traffic congestion.
Without the knowledge of the locals, MPT is constructing a flyover that lands in the heart of Vasco City. This will connect the traffic from the proposed project to the Baina-MPT port flyover at Sada. In the Sagarmala MPT Master plan, this connecting road was shown inside the MPT port area, thus not affecting any existing traffic in the city. But the alignment has been changed without any study of the traffic plans.
From Fishing village to Khariwada Ghetto/Slum
Olencio Simoes questioned the MPT whether they have identified and demarcated any fishing villages in the Coastal Zone Plan which was enclosed with the EIA Report. The MPT officials responded by stating that it is the responsibility of the State Government to declare fishing villages.
The MPT Officials were not wrong. Indeed the Goa government should have demarcated the fishing settlement along Vasco bay and declared it as a fishing village. But the draft Coastal Zone Management Plan, in which the villages are demarcated, has not yet been revealed to the public.
“The MPT is taking advantage of this situation. They are building a 3 mts wall on the north side of the area where the fishermen houses are located. Every fisherman in the fishing village has to have direct access to the beach. ”, said Olensio Simoes.
The MPT had proposed to rehabilitate the families of the fishermen whose houses are falling within the project area. They have demarcated an area for constructing 50 sq mts houses for these families just east of the project site. “They are constructing a slum for the fishermen. Does the TCP give permission to construct such small houses?”, questioned a fisherman who spoke at the hearing.
But MPT is not going to construct these houses. “The State Government will construct these houses.”, said the MPT official during the hearing.
“Without the CZMP Plan where fishing villages have to be declared, this project cannot go forward. It is a contempt of court”, said Olensio
Good or Bad Investment?
If taken in Isolation, the project has no growth potential. The Sagarmala Master plan for MPT indicates that the import of petroleum has gone down by 8% in the last 7 years. When asked how many cruise liners does MPT forecast in the next few years, they were not able to answer.
Even the fishing berth has been proposed without any study. “The EIA Consultants did not come on the ground to survey how many trawlers operate or what is the growth in the trawler business”, claimed one speaker.
What about the passenger traffic and cruise line projects? MPT did not disclose any past or present statistics or any of future projections. Without this information, any socio-economic study of this project is grossly inadequate and thus unreliable.
“Why is MPT spending its own money on dredging the break water berth? Why cant MPT give it to a private operator to handle the berth and all the cruise liners which will dock there?”, questioned a speaker. At berth 8, the private lease holder will be spending on dredging the area adjoining the berth. MPT officials responded that there are no private companies who will take up operations the Cruise line berth at the breakwater. This claim was unsubstantiated because when the speaker probed further MPT responded by saying that they never floated any proposal for calling a private company to handle this berth.
The Hazard that Looms over Vasco.
While every other country is moving their hazardous cargo operations away from settlement areas, the MPT is the only port that is moving its operations from 1.5 Kms from nearest settlement areas to less than 500 mtrs, said Olensio Simoes.
Mumbai port has already experienced two accidents in the last one year. However, in its report, MPT has severely downplayed the possibility of an accident by calculating it’s risk with the probability of 1 in 1 million, a risk factor borrowed from European ports. “Can European standards be compared with Indian safety standards”, asked one speaker?
The Consultant was asked how many casualties or fatalities will occur if there is a blast in the liquid cargo berth. He was not able to answer. “You’ll have shown a table where only 17 people will die if there is a blast which covers almost half the pier. But at any given time there can be 500 people on the fishing jetty alone as stated in the EIA report”, said a speaker at the public hearing.
During the hearing, it was pointed out that no study was done on the damage caused by an explosion on people, damage caused by toxic exposure, the financial loss due to an accident and the impact of an explosion of the liquid cargo berth on other hazardous substances in neighbouring berths.
“The EIA report for coal expansion says that coal can get ignited spontaneously. The coal dust is very volatile and can explode if it is ignited. But you’ll have not done any study of what will happen if there is a fire at this proposed berth and the fire spreads to neighbouring coal stacks”, said Dinesh Dias. The official of Ultra-tech lab admitted the risk assured that he will do a study on this issue.
Will this project see the light of Day?
Most activists say that it is uncertain and this project may remain in a limbo like the other three projects which were proposed last year. “We cant be sure if the project will go ahead but we have to prepare to go to court against the liquid cargo berth ”, said Savio Correia.
Olencio Simoes said that the trawler owners have been waiting for many years for a full fledged modern fishing jetty. “MPT knows that without sharing the proposed jetty with the fishermen for a few years by calling it a fishing berth, people will never allow them to take over Vasco Bay. The State Government has to build this jetty like they have in Cutbona and other places. Why should the fishermen be under the mercy of MPT? Why should the fishermen be held at ransom just because MPT wants a brand new POL berth just so that big corporate can import more coal at their existing jetties?”, he questioned.
