Latest Google Earth satellite images of Goa reveal the bitter, naked truth about drastic change in land use
It was a mistake/underestimate when I had written in one of the previous post that only about 72900 ha. Of land (about 729 sq.kms or 20% of Goa’s geographical area) is left for any kind of spatial planning under RP-2021. Actually even this area is under attack as the Google imagery indicates….if we study talukawise changes.. so with most of the areas being opened for development what is left for regional plan and regional (spatial) planning? Notwithstanding the fact that another high powered council under Dr. Mashelkar is preparing another plan for Goa upto AD 2025. How would it mesh with RP-2021 with the technologists and economists dominated council operating from Pune? But what do the latest (april 22, 2010) Google earth images show?. Ignore the white reflectance from saline waterbodies and marshes, this is a summer phenomena when salt crystals reflect light … the freshwater gives the normal blue colour I was aghast to look at vandalization of Tiswadi island…where I was born (Panaji) and thoroughly familiar with its’ origin, historical geography, topography through time…. You can use “historical imagery” feature of Google earth and catch the changes since 2003… and then you would realize that the whole time gaining business by town planners, architects, engineers in the name of RP-2021 was a smokescreen to permit these ‘developmental’ activities…as most of the damage has occurred post 2006…the ‘development’ is still under progress as the town and country planning dept. has washed off its’ hands… and the flying squad is rarely airborne…. A ring road around Calapur’s pristine Bondval lake? A concrete jungle in Malim valley? Hotels encroaching on Baga river? Scrapyards in Khazan fields of Merces, Taleigao? . Mud flat formation at mouths of rivers and creeks, and so on... And the havoc in the entire mining belt-in addition look at the new stone quarries, the bleeding hills… The high resolution imagery gave me a sinking feeling. I have an article on this issue for Sunday. Since the images are permissible evidence, our energies need to focus on pinning down the government with the satellite pictures….locationwise. Our village panchyats are small.. But I could see the RCC dust bin in front of my university allotted residential quarters very clearly in the latest images . so why not we have Village panchayatwise Goggle earth based audit?....It is unfortunate that our own ISRO is not cooperative despite better images… Please spend some time on Google earth on location of your interest..this tool has to be used proactively and intelligently to suspend, stop, reverse what has been going on. This is not possible by giving legitimacy to RP-2021. It is hightime to dump it immediately and demand a Spatial use audit based on GE imagery and ground truthing. I am afraid, having known the function of the administration that RP-2021 would be used to disempower the unususpecting, simple folks of Goa (how many can purchase, read the TCP act, 1974?). -- Dr. Nandkumar Kamat, GOA