MARGAO
Even as the farmers of Salpem lake are bracing up to cultivate an additional one lakh square metres of fallow land on Thursday, sewage and wastewater from neighbouring Margao continue to flow into the lake, contaminating the water body.
A visibly agitated president of the Salpem Farmers Association, Prof Antonio Alvares, has warned that the beleaguered farmers will be left with no option than to block the storm water near the Kudchadkar hospital with rubbles and stones.
“The farmers are exasperated that despite the petition filed in the High Court and its intervention, sewage and wastewater from Margao continue to flow into the Salpem lake. What are the farmers expected to do when the sewage water has devastated their agricultural fields over the years and the MMC and other government agencies have remained a silent spectator to the rampant violations,” Alvares said.
He said the government agencies seemed involved in passing the buck to each other, abdicating their responsibilities in plugging the sewage flow from Margao into the storm water drains.
“Last year, the farmers of Salpem lake had revived agriculture in the water body by bringing around one lakh square metres of land back to paddy cultivation. From tomorrow, Thursday, the farmers will bring an additional one lakh square metres of land into paddy cultivation. However, the sewage flow from Margao into the Salpem has not stopped to date. This is totally not acceptable,” Alvares added.
