The theme for World Water Day 2022 was: Groundwater, making the invisible visible. Everyone is aware of surface water and how the same is getting contaminated, wasted and exploited by certain industries. The groundwater is invisible and hence out of sight. This visibility is the need of the hour especially in Goa. Why? In Cuncolim, we read how some unscrupulous industries were actually discharging untreated wastewater into the groundwater table via the rain harvesting wells. What has the PWD/Factory Inspector, GSPCB done in this case? Their actions are invisible. This attitude must change.
Making groundwater visible requires year-round investigative journalism on the above cases. Rainwater harvesting measures allow untreated rainwater flowing in any terrain -- note Goa is not ODF -- to directly enter bores sunk for this purpose which is wrong. We need to monitor these bores and the bore wells used mainly by the industry. The cess on such water is very low and must be increased. In fact, groundwater must be used only for human consumption. Many places in Goa are crying for water and only industrialists tap the same and contaminate it.
