Maya,
Thanks for your input. I support all that you say but it is well known to most
staff in the concerned authorities and while public education is constantly
needed, particularly for change in the long-term, more of it will not change
much in the immediate future.
The better results strategy is naming and shaming, focus on specific issues,
feedback to society and action for change.
But then you also have to contend with the sensitivities and sense of values of
the average resident and Indian tourist in Goa. Take noise pollution, for
instance. The public buses that ply the narrow roads in my village firmly
believe that it is their God given right to startle and keep the whole village
awake by hooting continuously as they ride by, no matter the time of night and
day. As far as I know, nobody has objected, possibly because most of the
villagers are not disturbed (Indians love noise) or because they have no trust
in the Panchayat or police to take action. (What to do, its like that only in
Goa, syndrome). If you want to hear a musical discord take a little time off at
the Mapusa bus stand, the place where the hooters congregate and hoot to
kingdom come right under the window of the RTA office, assuming it has not
moved. Leave it to you to imagine what the hooters are saying. (Continuous dog
noise is another similar issue). Once again, a sense of values and the comfort
of impunity and bribery solution to all evils in the face of the law. By and
large, we are not a society in which the rule of law prevails. Another aspect
of our civilization. We are an ancient civilization, remember?
The option, a rapid results approach is implement the law (noise pollution,
public nuisance etc.) and demand better laws and penalties.
The common approach to an issue is to pretend that things are being done. Today
we have great activities to clean up our India. About time wouldn't you say but
at best the campaign will only have limited and localized success for the
simple reason, in the case of Goa, that people are not offered a proper,
efficient, consistently working system to dispose off their garbage. Segregate
and then what? Clean an area and how long will it take the spoilers to make it
filthy and smelly again? Like noise, do the majority of Indians love and feel
comfortable in smelly filth, one might ask. Again, a matter of values of the
majority, implementation of the law, and a progressive approach of our leaders.
The fight must go on as we must never allow the spoilers to take over Goa.
DarrellEnvironmental Ecologist.
From: "'Tallulah D'Silva' tallulahdsi...@gmail.com [wildgoa]"
<wild...@yahoogroups.com>
To: aamchipan...@googlegroups.com; 'Maya de Souza' <mayadeso...@hotmail.com>
Cc: wild...@yahoogroups.com; missiongreen...@yahoogroups.com; 'goanet'
<goa...@goanet.org>
Sent: Wednesday, November 26, 2014 8:58 AM
Subject: [WildGoa] RE: [Aamchi Panaji] Air Pollution in Goa: Comment from Maya
de Souza
Thanks for sharing this VM
Tallulah D'Silva,
www.missiongreengoa.blogspot.com
www.environmentallywrite.blogspot.com
www.architecturert.com
Global Shaper (World Economic Forum) http://www.globalshapers.org/
-----Original Message-----
From: aamchipan...@googlegroups.com [mailto:aamchipan...@googlegroups.com] On
Behalf Of V M
Sent: 26 November 2014 06:58
To: Maya de Souza
Cc: aamchipan...@googlegroups.com; wild...@yahoogroups.com;
missiongreen...@yahoogroups.com; goanet
Subject: [Aamchi Panaji] Air Pollution in Goa: Comment from Maya de Souza
NOTE: Maya de Souza is of Goan origin and lives in London. She works as a
senior environmental policy adviser in the UK government, and cycles across
London to work in Westminster from her home in Tufnell Park most days of the
week. For many years, she has been involved in local politics as a member of
the Green Party of England and Wales, and has been on the party's national
executive and policy committee.
Maya was one of London's first Green Councillors, winning a seat in the London
Borough of Camden in 2006 and holding it in 2010, before standing down in May
this year. As a local councillor, she played a lead role in several working
groups including one on air quality, as well as being an active member of the
Culture & Environment scrutiny committee over a number of years where she
pushed for more sustainable systems of travel, amongst other things. Maya is a
founder member of a couple of local environmental groups including Highgate
Climate Action Network and Transition Dartmouth Park. Contact:
mayadeso...@hotmail.com
----------------------------------------------------------
As European cities battle with their air quality and China takes steps to
reduce the numbers of cars in its cities is it time for Goa to leapfrog ahead?
We don't normally think about places like Goa, not urban conurbations but
collections of towns and villages, as places suffering from air pollution. But
for anyone to who has been to Goa recently, they will know why we need to
worry. It's not just the national highway that cuts through from Mapusa to
Margao as part of a longer journey from north to south, but it's even the
village roads in particular along the Sinquerim - Baga tourist strip.
For an economy that relies on tourism, [around 20% of its GDP], this is a
serious issue. People wont come to Goa, or at least not again and again if it
doesn't have basics like clean air, and other related features like some quiet.
Noise and clean air tend to be interrelated.
It's not just the tourists but it's also the impact on health more generally,
with air pollutants like nitrogen oxides and particulates, aggravating
respiratory conditions and leading to early deaths. In London which still has
NoX and particulate levels above legal European Union limits, this is estimated
to cause about 3000 deaths a year.
So what's the answer? It certainly isn't to build more and more roads and wider
ones. It may well be about shifting people from diesel vehicles to petrol as
well as ultra low emission vehicles, hybrids and electric vehicles. More and
cleaner public transport plus facilities for walking and cycling are also
critical. The new cycling lane along the Caranzalem highway is a brilliant
initiative and they should become a standard part of road design.
Considering the volume of traffic that we seem to be regularly experiencing, it
looks as if we need sharp and immediate policy action to take us there. There
are some lessons from the London experience, a lesson that many cities across
Europe have sought to replicate. That's about road charging and the congestion
charge, combined with a low emission zone.
In London the congestion charge works by having a charge for a particular area.
Both bankers and this pushing for a liveable city were united in this. Fewer
cars would be better for both quality of life and avoiding the costs of traffic
jams. So now to enter the central part of London within certain hours a charge
must be paid.
It's not huge and it's not too difficult to pay. But nevertheless it led to a
large reduction in traffic. It also led to an income stream, and that got
ploughed into more buses. And buses are now clean and smart, and well-used by
all.
For Goa, that could mean a charge for heavily congested areas as well as for
the highway. That mega highway running past so many residential homes
especially in the Porvorim area shouldn't be forgotten. The money raised should
then go into a clean bus network and cycling routes.
Goa could also set it's own standards for vehicles in these polluted areas,
banning vehicles with high emissions from the area. It may need to come with a
system of loans for this who may need new vehicles. If combined with
kickstarting a factory for electric vehicles in Goa, this could be a win-win
situation.
It's perfectly possible for such radical solutions to be taken forward. It's
time for Goa to start thinking about this.
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