PANAJI
Residents of Mala in Panaji woke up last week to an alarming sight and smell: large amounts of dead fish floating in the lake, already emanating a foul stench.
By afternoon, thousands of dead fish were floating and dead. The sight was shocking, but several locals said it was hardly surprising given the utter neglect the lake has faced for years.
For nearly twenty years, governments and politicians promised to clean and beautify the lake but none of those promises ever saw daylight.
Two days after the incident, CCP Mayor Rohit Monserrate made a site visit on Monday and claimed "it looks like sewage is choking the lake" even as he said that a joint meeting of officials from different departments including fisheries, WRD and the Goa State Pollution Control Board (GSPCB) will be held where the problem will be discussed.
Later that day, the GSPCB team collected water samples for lab tests even as untreated sewage inflow and oxygen depletion have been prima-facie cited as the likely cause.
“We grew up around this lake and many used to go fishing. Now it’s a dumping ground,” an elderly Maria, who lives along the northern bank in Mala, said.
Another resident of the area, Rajesh, was livid that at every election revival of the Mala lake is promised but nothing is actually done.
The history of broken promises is long. Back in 2008, a beautification drive was announced with walkways, gardens, and lighting. However, nothing moved beyond newspaper headlines and bureaucratic jottings on files.
Some years later, the North Goa Planning and Development Authority (NGPDA) pushed a PPP project for a market and lakefront development. The project got stalled amidst allegations of corruption and stiff resistance from local residents who were opposing the 'commercial' quotient of the project and the expected 'congestion' spin-off.
By 2015, the project was officially scrapped and the half-built NGPDA market structure still looms over the lake's eastern bank which remains a concrete testimony of abandoned plans.
More recently in 2019, ahead of the Panaji assembly by-election, politicians revived the lake issue in pre-election rhetoric. However, nothing was pursued on the ground and no action followed.
Activists and environmentalists meanwhile are voicing concern over the lake's neglect.
"Mala lake could have been Panaji’s green lung. It's not only about the fish dying. It's about treasuring the city's natural resources and heritage," said Luis Fernandes, a senior citizen residing in the Portais locality.
Even as the State administration has reacted to the episode with a joint response from multiple departments to find answers and solutions, locals remain skeptical and are demanding action on the ground.
"We need action. Plug the sewage flow and clean the lake," Luis Fernandes said, adding that this 'dead fish' tragedy is not sudden and a result of years of neglect.
For Mala and Panaji the question now is whether the lake will ever be revived despite this alarming incident of large scale fish deaths.
