MARGAO
Trees either chopped or burnt down, vegetation cleared by burning, sand dune tampered with greeted Cavelossim villagers as they descended at the Mobor end of the village on Thursday, where river Sal meets the Arabian sea.
Shocked over the destruction caused to the environment and the fragile ecology, the villagers have knocked on the doors of the district Collector, Goa Coastal Zone Management Authority (GCZMA) and the Forest officials for action.
“This is an eco-sensitive zone, where the river meets the Arabian sea. This fragile eco-system, if disturbed, will pave way for the water to enter the land mass, causing further destruction,” thundered social activist, Adv Irish Passainha, who is also a member of the Cavelossim panchayat.
Saying the villagers have no idea who has carried out the destruction of the fragile ecology at the Mobor end of Cavelossim village, Irish said the people here believe that an Indian cricketer has purchased the land for development.
“Who has given the right to anyone to chop and burn down the trees and clear the vegetation, which constitutes the bio-diversity of the village,” questioned Irish, even as the residents submitted a signed petition to the district Collector and the Forest department for immediate action.
He claimed that the area falls under the No Development Zone and hence is a violation of the CRZ norms in place. “In such a condition, this area cannot be allowed to be developed. They have flattened a sand dune. The entire area can be washed away with rising seawater,” he said.
Demanding immediate action, Irish said the district Collector and the Forest department should take immediate action and restore the dunes. “Otherwise, this area will be submerged under water in the coming season. The picturesque Mobor end of Cavelossim will be destroyed,” he feared.
As the group of residents walked into the property, they came across smoke billowing from wood which was set afire after cutting the trees.
Violet Fernandes expressed shock over the extent of damage caused to the tree cover and vegetation. “We have been visiting this place since our childhood where river Sal empties into the Arabian sea. What has taken place at Mobor is bad. We have seen trees chopped down and the vegetation cleared by fire,” Violet said while making a fervent plea to the panchayat to see the place and initiate action.
Ex-panch Julio Fernandes demanded the restoration of the area, including the dune, tampered with by the developer. “One can see with the naked eye how the tree and vegetation cover has been destroyed,” he said.
Another resident Shelton Fernandes said what has happened at Mobor is a clear violation of the CRZ norms. “The clearance of trees and vegetation, which helps to keep the soil together, will now pose a big risk to the people of Mobor,” he added.
In the representation made to the district Collector, Member Secretary of GCZMA and the Deputy Conservator of Forest, the residents pointed out that they have been completely shattered after knowing about the destruction.
“The whole area falls in NDZ, playing host to sand dunes with a thick growth of various types of vegetation which protected the whole area from storms and nature's fury. These sand dunes are natural formation which came into existence with continuous movement of wind or water-driven sand and takes the form of a mound, ridge or hill. These complex dune fields are God's creation and not manmade,” they said.
They feared that the destruction will have a cascading effect on the environment leading to ruining of the whole area during nature's fury resulting in a complete wash-off at any moment when the storm struck. “It is observed that several big trees were cut and burnt without any permission and dunes were flattened. This area is having river Sal on the east and the Arabian sea on the west wherein the distance between the river and sea is less than two hundred meters. This area is completely fragile in nature which was protected by dunes and vegetation. Due to removal of existing thick vegetation and flattening of dunes opens the said area for nature's fury,” the petition stated while demanding action.
The Cavelossim panchayat led by sarpanch Dixon Vaz had a day ago imposed a penalty of Rs 25,000 on the caretaker of the property in question for clearing the vegetation by setting it on fire.
