MARGAO
Chalo Lohia Maidan for Mhadei Kranti with water pots, buckets and utensils on Goa Revolution Day. This is a message sent across to the people of Goa by social activists from Salcete countryside on Friday as they have all backed the call given by the Save Mhadei, Save Goa movement to assemble near the Lohia Maidan, Margao, on Goa Revolution Day, on June 18, at 4 pm.
Social activist Zarinha Da Cunha thundered at a media briefing when she made a fervent plea to the people of Goa to come with kolsehe, shiddis, bronze tambeas, baldas (all water storage wares) on June 18 at the Lohia Maidan to silently participate in the revolution over the government’s inability to save and protect Mhadei from being diverting to neighbouring Karnataka.
“Let us show the people in power that Goans will not keep quiet if the Mhadei river water is diverted to the neighbouring state. We are not calling our movement at the Lohia Maidan a protest, but a revolution. We will assemble at the Lohia Maidan and will chalk out the future course of action,” she said.
She added: “Goa was liberated from the colonial power after a call was given from the Lohia Maidan. But, because of the greed and corruption of the people in power, our Mhadei river, which is considered our mother, is facing destruction.”
Zarinha said the reason why people have been asked to bring the water utensils at the Lohia Maidan is to convey a message to the government to give the people the water. “People across the State are suffering because there is no proper supply of tap water. Hence, we will come with buckets and other utensils to tell the government to give us water and we are going home,” she added.
Saying the government has abdicated its responsibility in protecting Mhadei river and is scouting for water bodies in the villages, including the Sarzora lake to tap water for industry, Zarinha said the government should restore the pristine glory of river Sal by stopping pollution and take up the river rejuvenation work on priority.
Engineer-turned“agriculturist Anthony Gonsalves said the time has come to protect and preserve the scarce water resources and stop them from getting contaminated. “The water well at the place where I live at Borda is contaminated today. This may be because of the leachate and other effluents from Sonsodo flowing into the water bodies,” he said.
Social activist Anthony D’Silva has called for urgent measures by the government to save the river Sal from further destruction. Saying the bundhs of the river Sal are all lying in a damaged and destroyed state, Anthony feared that the saline water will enter the fields and the land and cause further destruction.
Saying the river Sal is one river which is flowing throughout the year, he pointed out that people eke a living on the perennial water of the river. He has also called for a stop to the pollution of the river.
Shadow Council for Margao convenor Savio Coutinho pointed out that the government has turned out a law breaker when it comes to protecting the water resources, pointing out how the Margao Municipal Council had dumped raw garbage from Sonsodo to the open fields near the district Court building for land filling.
The Save Mhadei, Save Goa Movement has decided to hold a peaceful awareness cum protest meet near Lohia Maidan, Margao on 18th June 2023, at 4 pm in solidarity with our Mhadei River. The meet is to create awareness regarding the need to conserve and look after the rivers and water resources.
