PANAJI
A public interest litigation (PIL) has been filed before the High Court of Bombay at Goa, alleging large-scale environmental and water-related damage caused by highway earthworks along the Verna Highway.
The petition, filed by advocate Moses Pinto in person, seeks urgent court intervention against what he calls “unscientific and ecologically damaging” road works being carried out by the Public Works Department (Highways). The respondents include the Union of India, the State of Goa, the PWD (Highways), the South Goa Collector, the Goa State Pollution Control Board, the Water Resources Department and the Directorate of Agriculture.
According to the PIL, highway earthworks began in the first week of January 2026 along the MDR-38 stretch. Heavy machinery such as excavators and backhoe loaders were allegedly used to dump laterite soil, create artificial embankments and level low-lying land within a floodplain.
The petitioner states that the land along MDR-38 in Verna is a natural agricultural floodplain and seasonal wetland traditionally used for paddy cultivation. He claims it supports 20 to 30 small and marginal farmers and also acts as a natural drainage channel, groundwater recharge area and ecological buffer.
The PIL alleges that the earthworks have blocked natural drainage channels, buried watercourses and disturbed the natural flow of water across the floodplain. It claims compacted soil embankments have caused water stagnation and waterlogging in paddy fields.
The petitioner has also questioned the drainage arrangements, alleging that concrete culvert pipes were placed without proper alignment with existing channels, worsening water blockage instead of easing it.
The petition argues that any obstruction to the floodplain system leads to water backflow, poor soil oxygen levels and long-term damage to farmland. It warns that continued embankment works could cause permanent waterlogging and soil degradation.
The PIL further claims that no environmental impact assessment, hydrological study or ecological review was conducted before starting the works. Photographs attached to the petition reportedly show soil dumping, blocked drainage and water stagnation. The petitioner says the damage is ongoing and could become irreversible without immediate court action.
