Sometime prior to his death Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar warned the Goan public and tourists not to swim in the Mandovi River: if you do swim you will fall very sick.
What was Manohar Parrikar talking about: mud, muck or the monkey in the river? We know the barges which carried manganese ore for decades deposited some of the cargo - intentionally or not - into the river. And, this is an old and long story. Also, muck and garbage have been added to the once-upon-a-time good water of the river to make it bad. For a long time now. Yesterday I read somewhere how Chief Minister Sawant stopped his car when he saw someone throwing flowers into the River Mandovi. He cares. And, here lies the silver lining to a dark monsoon cloud. Again yesterday, a minister in the government cleared the dark clouds over the sky when he said the monkey (read: sewage) from casinos does not flow into the river from casinos. Now, this is great news for me and I'm sure the casino owners and casino lobby. If people want to gamble, it is their private decision. No one has a right to criticize them. They have the necessary licenses don't they? If there is no Gaming Commission in place and gambling on casinos is not managed according to the industry rules and regulations is another matter, and a very serious matter at that! Money laundering and using black money can weaken the economy, and worse, lead to acts of terrorism. Casinos need to follow the rules and government needs to implement the rules fully - if they have not. Otherwise, casinos can become a national security risks. Is there sewage in the Mandovi? The sewage from the casinos go into tanks when they are sealed, and put on barges, says a minister. No sewage goes into the river from the casinos. Good news. The minister says the Goa Pollution Board and some scientists monitor this procedure carefully and any criticism is false, and unscientific. If the casinos do not pollute the river does it mean there is no sewage in the River Mandovi? Can the Pollution Board and scientists give the Mandovi River a clean bill of health? Manganese silt, muck from garbage, and sewage from households has been flowing into the River Mandovi as honey has been flowing in some of our rivers in India. We all have read stories which tell us it is true. Let us find out the truth about mud, muck, and sewage in the River Mandovi. Maybe, there is mud, muck and a monkey in the river and maybe there isn't! Will the Pollution Board please clear the water and give the River Mandovi a clean bill of health. Meanwhile, let us keep in mind what the late Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar told us: if you do swim you will fall very sick.
