The Goa State Pollution Control Board’s (GSPCB) decision, announced earlier this week, to grant consent for a new fish meal plant at Cuncolim has come as a major setback to villagers. People feel that the practical challenges and the environmental concerns have been ignored. While there is a set of strict rules put in place, the bigger worry has been over the lack of regulatory oversight.
On paper, all looks in place — strict effluent control, odour management, and regulated transportation, but the larger question is who is going to monitor these? The GSPCB may have gone by technicalities, but it cannot ignore the human side and the allied health issues that the people of the area have been flagging from time to time.
How committed is the GSPCB in genuinely safeguarding the environment and the health of residents? The effects of an existing fish meal plant in the area are there to see, and people have been complaining for years of foul odour, water contamination and air pollutions. Past inspections have not helped change the conditions. The irony is that while people have been complaining to the extent that the local MLA and Leader of the Opposition has been making repeated pleas in the Legislative assembly sessions, authorities have failed to factor in these concerns.
At the heart of these fish meal plants is the issue of how the fish is transported, and how the waste water is treated or discharged. There are recommendations that fish must be transported in sealed containers and that water must be treated and not discharged in the open. History tells us that these very parameters have been consistently overlooked by companies handling operations, resulting in foul odour enveloping the area, making living difficult for residents. The GSCPB has failed in this area because there are regulatory gaps that allow operators the freedom to take chances on rules. Inspections have happened, but to no avail, and the gap between policy and practice is as clear as daylight.
In Panaji, residents are fighting a grim battle against a 112-meter-long replacement casino vessel coming in River Mandovi, and have been voicing concerns over its impact on the river, including pollution. While the Captain of Ports maintains that the larger vessel falls within approved capacity limits and has required licences, authorities haven’t been able to allay fears of the people, as the river continues to be highly polluted.
While there is an outcry over fish meal plants, Cuncolim does not have a comprehensive Effluent Treatment Plant infrastructure. The absence of a Central Effluent Treatment Plant contravenes statutory requirements and endangers groundwater and land quality. The fact that the existing industry has been operating with such deficiencies calls into question the integrity of the regulatory system. The unit has been asked to install an Online Effluent Monitoring System for continuous monitoring of effluent quality to ensure compliance with prescribed standards.
Lest we forget, not too long ago, open air venues were asked to install online sound monitoring stations to record real-time data to combat high-decibel music. These proved to be a farce eventually with organisers working out ways to bypass the system and authorities conveniently ignoring the readings. The bottom line is, no matter the systems in place, if the intent is not visible and enforcement is not consistent, nothing can change.
Approving the new fish meal plant at Cuncolim without robust safeguards amounts to risking public health and environmental integrity. While strict conditions are welcome, there have to be equally tight monitoring mechanisms that involve locals. Authorities cannot ignore the collective cries of people.
