Hi Zelma, You hit the nail on the head with this post. Because the spring is a visible, pristine forested area, it has created a groundswell of opposition to the current contentious construction but in the bigger scheme of things, is no more than an emotional attachment to a nostalgic memory. Bird species will not go extinct because of one building.
However, it is the thin edge of the wedge. The repeated insults all over Goa, the decimation of natural forests for agriculture and habitat construction, the shorted-sighted solutions for the mounting garbage problem, the raping of water resources that will eventually affect the quality of life in Goa and similarly in the rest of the world. Water is quickly becoming the next 'oil' and although the Gulf nations can afford to desalinate sea water for human consumption using petrodollars, Canada will be the next superpower with their vast water resources ;) At the moment, Goans can count on the monsoons to recharge their ground water reserves but if they do not work diligently to harvest the deluge during those few months, that runoff will wash away fertile soils and carry away a large portion of the freshwater with it. But the monsoons depend on the conveyor belt of the circulation of the ocean currents seasonally changing the surface temperature of the ocean and consequently the wind patterns. Geologists are concerned that drastic environmental changes (like global warming due to CO2 emissions) may change that sequence and major weather patterns that have been counted on for eons may change too. So although we are dealing with a localized situation, Goa is in the headlights of major catastrophe if the monsoon patterns change. The earlier we learn how to cope, the better for all of us (wow, I didn't mean to cast such a gloomy spell on the whole thing!) The Salmona fountain just happens to be a surface exit for a groundwater basin that accumulates from the percolation of rainwater on the hill which is why it is much more susceptible to contamination from the garbage dump on the hill. Economically, it is not a big player but emotionally, we can harvest this momentum to challenge the other environmentally damaging practices being conducted in the village. The most pressing appears to be the rampant sale of water from wells that have actually been dug on Communidade lands. Wells that have been bored mechanically and have electric pumps to bring the water to the surface will 'never run dry' owing to their depth but will definitely affect neighbouring shallower wells that are serving 'rope & pulley' consumers. Most homes now have overhead tanks and electric pumps and so in general, water consumption in the village too is taking it's toll on the water table. But the prospect of having to deepen the existing wells becomes one of economics, those able to afford it will have more access to less water. Water and garbage seem to be the top of the list but eventually we should work on hoardings, traffic, fertilizers and pesticides, construction codes and zoning (and I'm sure Mario, Dean, Rico and others will come up with many others). All these are susceptible to the corruption of politicians but if we can use our collective inputs into developing sustainable solutions, Saligao will retain it's status of being one of the progressive villages in Goa. Unfortunately as Annette and now Dean have pointed out, sticking your neck out comes at a price and for those living in Saligao and Goa, that can be physically threatening. We need to keep a perspective on this and appreciate the risks when we start rattling the system. One thing we can all do in our various corners of the globe is bring attention to the situation at home at the upcoming Saligao Mae de deus feast celebrations that are being held around the globe. If we can formulate either a petition, information newsletter and a list of local organizations that will benefit from support and donations, we can make a better impact for the general community rather than just the usual religious based beneficiaries. Kevin momentum that Zelma G DeSouza wrote: > > > I pose a question that that has been irking me for days now since we > first heard of the mushrooming construction activity at Salmona Spring > in Saligao. > > What is Salmona to you? > > Perhaps to a non-Saligaonkar, it is just another name, just another > word or just another piece of nostalgia that we are crying over. It is > perhaps another dot on the map, a patch of land or a couple of trees > that are there for the taking. What else could it be? I am not > planning to delve into the nostalgic values that Salmona Fountain has > for us Salgaonkars but shall try to relate it directly to the harsh > realities of present day Goa. > > 1. I do not have the good fortune to have 24 hours running > water in my faucets in Panjim, despite having paid the builders for a > sump, pump and overhead tank. I have nothing > against the builders, for they have done their job. The only place I > can point a finger to is the Opa Reservoir that seems > to go dry every summer (or is it earlier than that?). > > 2. The last few times we have faced a water shortage, we shell > out the bucks and call in the water tankers. Bingo! The tanks are full > again. Which brings me to the next question. > > From where do these tankers get their water? > > Mostly from subterranean water resources like bountiful wells that > never run dry in the surrounding villages. Unbelievable, yet true. > There are water sources that never run dry despite feeding the needs > of hundreds and thousands of people every day. That, for me, is the > Salmona Fountain. For the fortunate few who never need to carry a > bucket of water or have a 'cat wash' every morning, water is just > water. But let us step out of the comfortable environs that we live in > and share a day with a weary villager who treasures every drop he > carries from the neighbourhood well or spring. Water is the source of > life and as far back as one goes into history, where there was water > there was growth, development and wealth. Perhaps some hundreds of > years back, some wizened village elder had the foresight to tap the > waters of Salmona and invited people to share in this beautiful gift > from God. > > Who cares today? That old wizened villager has been forgotten and so > are the many joys the spring of water brought into the lives of > thousands of people over the years. Today it is the land that matters, > not the spring. Lets face it. There's more money in > land, than there is in water. Or so you think. > > I work at a desalination plant where the government spends millions > every year to purify saline water and make it fit for human > consumption. I live in a country where we buy bottled water every day > because our piped water is not good for drinking. And every time I > walk into my office or pour a glass of water, I envy every Saligaonkar > (and every other Goan villager) who has the best water resources just > a stone's throw away. > > Today, our lack of concern has given a 'carte blanc' to some greedy > builder the right to bury this spring under a pile of rubble. It just > the beginning to the end of natural water resources. Today it is > Salmona, tomorrrow it will be another spring and another well. Let's > open our eyes to the truth. At the rate we are going we are looking at > a very dry future. Go ahead, destroy every water resource...and few > years from now Goa too will have to think of desalination. > > Sincerely hope the government of Goa will give this issue a serious > thought and hopefully your actions will be appreciated by all us > Saligaokars and many others who visit the Salmona Spring either for a > bath, collect water or bird watching... > > Zelma De Souza > PO Box 47688 > Abu Dhabi > > > > =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=--W-E-B--S-I-T-E--=-=-=-=-=-= To Subscribe/Unsubscribe from Saligaonet | http://www.goacom.com/saligao_tinto/ ============================================================================ * Send e=mail to [EMAIL PROTECTED] (NOT saligaonet@goacom.com) * Leave SUBJECT blank <--- Commom Mistake !! * On first line of the BODY of your message, type: subscribe saligaonet YOUR.EMAIL OR unsubscribe saligaonet YOUR.EMAIL Questions/Problems? Contact: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
