VASCO
Describing Mormugao as the epitome of neglect in Goa, former expert member of the Goa Coastal Zone Management Authority (GCZMA) Savio Correia has said the taluka is the State’s potential disaster zone with the highest concentration of hazardous installations.
“The absence of a comprehensive disaster management plan, mitigation strategy, or mass public evacuation framework compounds the problem. Recent incidents, including the Matvem-Dabolim oil spillage, underscore the severity of the situation,” said Correia, who ia s Vasco-based environmental lawyer and activist.
“The environmental catastrophe at Matvem-Dabolim has permanently contaminated and destroyed the groundwater and fragile ecology of an entire village. The extent and nature of the ecological damage remain undetermined as of today.”
“Despite political rhetoric acknowledging Mormugao as a “ticking time bomb”, substantive actions are conspicuously absent. History has shown that such incidents soon fade from public memory, allowing culprits to evade accountability.”
Correia insisted that the principles of “absolute liability” and “polluter pays” squarely apply to the Matvem-Dabolim incident.
“Industries engaging in hazardous activities causing environmental damage are liable to compensate the affected parties and the State. The State Government, beyond its rhetorical commitment, must assess the actual damage to both the environment and the local people and initiate appropriate legal action to recover exemplary and punitive damages from the delinquent company.”
Correia also claimed that the lax approach of public to environmental violations allows corporates to evade the consequences with impunity.
“In developed nations, such incidents lead to severe repercussions and the company would have been reduced to penury and its officials would have been behind bars. Murgaonkars, already afflicted by chronic coal dust, now face compromised access to clean water, highlighting a disturbing trend of utter disregard to human life and environmental well-being,” he added.
