The Fisheries Department is back in the spotlight again over the hostile navigation channel at the mouth of river Sal, as a sand bar in the river has come in the way of the smooth movement of fishing vessels operating from the Cutbona jetty.
For, the National Green Tribunal (NGT) in November last year had given a nod for the construction of the training wall at the river Sal mouth, but on a rider that the Fisheries Department obtain an Environment Clearance (EC) before the execution of the breakwater project.
It’s more than eight months now since the NGT had disposed of a petition filed by Cavelossim-based NGO Cavelossim Villagers Forum through its president Advocate Irish Passainha challenging the construction of the training wall at the river Sal mouth without the EC, with a direction to the Fisheries Department to first obtain the EC before taking up the training wall construction work.
When The Goan called up a Fisheries Officer to find out the status vis-à-vis the training wall at the mouth of river Sal, the officer pointed out that the department has already applied for the EC from the State Environment Impact Assessment Authority (SEIAA). “No sooner the SEIAA gives the EC, the Fisheries Department will re-tender the work on the construction of the training wall at the river Sal mouth,” the official maintained.
What’s important to note is that while the construction of the training wall at the river Sal mouth has the backing of Chief Minister Pramod Sawant, the two MLAs Venzy Veigas and Cruz Silva, besides the boat owners as well as fishermen, the fate of the retaining wall hangs in balance as work on the project depends on the Environment Clearance (EC) from the SEIAA.
On the ground, however, the absence of the training wall and the breakwater facility has hampered the smooth navigation of the fishing vessels at the river Sal mouth. The hostile conditions have indeed stopped many a fishing vessel from Cutbona from venturing out in the sea as the boats had to literally depend on the high tide.
While the Captain of Ports was willing to step in to remove the sand bar formed inside the river Sal, the proposal has met with opposition from the traditional fishermen from Betul, Bapsora and Rangalli.
NGO SPEAKS
Cavelossim Villagers Forum President Adv Irish Passainha has said the Forum was forced to knock the doors of the National Green Tribunal since the Fisheries Department had started work on the training wall without EC from the Ministry of Forests & Environment or the State Coastal Zone Management Authority (GCZMA).
He said the government had proposed to build a 483 metre training wall at the mouth of the river Sal, extending into the Arabian Sea, but without the mandatory EC.
Irish pointed out that training walls have had severe negative impact on the environment including accretion of sand on the up-drifts side with a consequent erosion of sand on the down drift side. “There have always been chronic sand erosions wherever training walls are constructed. Such projects need a detailed environment impact assessment study before they are implemented,” he said.
