I write in response to recent articles on the state’s electricity and water issues. The Electricity Department attributes pressure on the grid partly to a surge in power consumption driven by increased tourism and seasonal demand. The Water Resources Department reports that most major reservoirs have fallen well below comfortable levels as demand rises amid intense summer conditions, citing the delayed onset of monsoon as a key reason. Surprisingly, both departments fail to mention the primary driver: climate change and global warming. Rising temperatures and resource depletion are only part of the impact. Flash floods, landslides, and erratic weather patterns are becoming frequent, yet our dedicated Department of Environment & Climate Change appears absent from this conversation. What exactly has this department been doing while trees are felled in large numbers? Infrastructure development cannot be used as an excuse every time. A year ago, we saw what unchecked “development” did to Joshimath in the Himalayan region. If water and electricity are already in crisis in Goa today, what will happen when large-scale projects like the proposed Abhinandan Lodha township with 1,383 residential plots and swimming pools become fully occupied? The added load on already strained resources needs urgent scrutiny.
