The inspection that remained inconclusive. Captured by : Santosh Mirajkar
MARGAO
A joint inspection of the Salpem lake fields by officials of agencies have unearthed what was complained all along by the farmers -- sewage water flowing into the fields from adjoining Margao through a water nullah full of thermocol, bottles and dry waste.
The inspection came a day after Agriculture Minister Ravi Naik along with Agriculture Director, Neville Alphonso inspected the Salpem fields and lent their ears to the grievances of the farmers.
Officials of the Goa State Pollution Control Board (GSPCB), Sewerage Infrastructure Development Corporation of Goa Ltd (SIDCGL), PWD, besides the Navelim Panchayat descended at the Salpem lakes for the inspection. Sadly, the inspection could not make much progress and neither were any water samples obtained from the water for examination on the premise that the main agency Water Resources Department (WRD) were conspicuous by its absence.
In fact, the PWD officials pointed out that that since the storm water nullah falls in the domain of the WRD, the concerned department should take a call on the issues raised by the farmers.
Incensed by the stand adopted by these agencies, local farmers has now threatened to block the Kudchadkar water nullah to stop the sewage water flowing from neighbouring Margao into the Salpem fields.
A farmer James Gomes lamented the lack of seriousness on the part of the agencies in dealing with the issue of pollution at the salpem lake.
“When they came here for the inspection, they seemed pushing the buck on each other. It is not our fault that the WRD did not come for the inspection. In fact, these agencies should have all coordinated before coming for the inspection”, he said.
James warned that the farmers and the people of Navelim will be left with no option than to shut the storm water nullah at the Kudchadkar hospital by dumping rubble stones.
Activist and farmer Herald Pinto said the government should at least now step in to stop the sewage water flowing into the Salpem lake, more so when the farmers have reaped huge yield of paddy by cultivating the Salpem fields after four decades.
“It is estimated that farmers may get around 20 tons of rice yield by reviving the Salpem fields this year after 40 years. But, the farmers plan to bring additional area under cultivation in the coming season if the sewage discharge is stopped by the authorities”, he said.
He added: “People of Navelim want be self reliant in paddy cultivation. The revival of paddy cultivation has raised hopes of a bumper harvest. Farmers in the past had stopped cultivation out of fear of being infected with skin diseases. The government had never compensated the farmers”.’
Navelim Sarpanch Lucia Carvalho echoed similar sentiments saying many farmers were affected by the sewage waters, adding that it is time that the fields are restored to its past glory by stopping the flow of sewage water.
