The Corporation of City of Panaji (CCP) had claimed that they had done all the pre-monsoon works and that all the drains were cleared. Despite all those tall claims the flooding and water logging that the city has been witnessing is a matter of concern. One wonders whether the city’s drains or if infact only the CCP coffers were cleaned. Less said the better on Panaji MLA Babush Monseratte’s solemn assurance to the residents of Panaji last year that the city would not see any water-logging this year. The nature’s fury that Panaji and many parts of the State is witnessing has been rightly predicted for years by our environmental scientists Dr Nandkumar Kamat and Dr. Joe D’Souza.
The colossal environmental degradation that Goa has been witnessing over the years by way of rampant destruction of hills, fragmentation of pristine vegetated verdant landscapes and ruthless chopping of trees by not even sparing from pouring concrete in the low lying fields is finally showing the impact of criminal interference in Goa's age old natural ecosystems. The traditional drainage systems, waterways and outlets for natural flow of rainwater are choked all over with no functional drainage system in place. The capacitance Goan communities built over centuries with their time tested strategies designed and it's resilience to secure us from flooding that we ourselves had witnessed in our childhood has now all gone for a toss. Lack of proper planning while cluttering of environmentally incompatible new constructions all over without the much needed infrastructure has landed Goa in a State of chaos. With political blessings the real estate mafia has swiftly enriched itself multifold while leaving the common man to face the brunt of their misdeeds. The farmers of Goa had never suffered so much at any point in the past. Nature is kicking back as they say. If those in power do not take urgent corrective, well planned and sustainable measures to save the natural ecosystems, the god gifted landscape, the ecosensitive beaches, sand dunes, Khazans, wetlands, Salt pans, the last remaining hills and farms, the orchards, rivers, estuaries, lakes, ponds, springs, fountains of Goa for protecting our ecology, we will have to face a bigger catastrophic disaster soon. Goa has been a beautiful accident of history endowed with abundant resources. But selfishness and foolishness by those in power has brought our State to a stage in history when one day Mother Nature may crack the whip and Goa already threatened by sea level rise would simply be wiped out from face of this planet. Before that happens let better sense prevail. Aires Rodrigues Advocate High Court C/G-2, Shopping Complex Ribandar Retreat, Ribandar – Goa – 403006 Mobile No: 9822684372 Office Tel No: (0832) 2444012 Email: [email protected] Or [email protected] You can also reach me on Facebook.com/ AiresRodrigues Twitter@rodrigues_aires www.airesrodrigues.com
