Team Goemkarponn
MORMUGAO: In a significant boost to Goa’s traditional fishing communities, the National Green Tribunal (NGT) has restrained the operationalisation of environmental and coastal zone clearances for the proposed Mormugao Port channel-deepening project, prompting fisherfolk organisations to renew their demand for the project’s complete scrapping.
In an interim direction issued on September 26, 2026, the Tribunal ordered that the Environmental Clearance and Coastal Regulation Zone Clearance granted on July 21, 2025, for deepening the approach channel to accommodate Capesize vessels shall remain in abeyance until the next hearing on November 2.
Welcoming the order, representatives of nine fisherfolk organisations described it as a crucial step towards protecting Goa’s marine ecosystem, traditional fishing grounds and the livelihoods of coastal communities threatened by large-scale dredging and port expansion.
The campaign is being led by Olencio Simoes, General Secretary of the National Fishworkers Forum, and Custodio D’Souza, President of the Old Cross Fishing Canoe Owners Cooperative Society Limited.
Addressing a press conference, Simoes warned that the proposed project could pave the way for a sharp expansion in coal handling at Mormugao Port, increasing capacity across Berths 5, 6 and 7 from 12 million tonnes per annum to 42.1 million tonnes per annum.
The fisherfolk representatives said the proposed expansion could intensify existing pollution pressures on communities living and working around the port. They cited a December 2017 directive issued by the Goa State Pollution Control Board ordering a 25% reduction in coal handling after significantly elevated PM10 levels were recorded near the port berths.
Simoes also recalled that the NGT had set aside an earlier clearance for the same project in September 2016 because a mandatory public hearing had not been conducted.
The petitioners have raised further questions over whether a particulate-matter source-apportionment study conducted by IIT Bombay was placed before the Expert Appraisal Committee. The Tribunal has directed the project proponent to produce evidence of compliance.
A key concern for fishing communities is the scale of the proposed dredging and its potential impact on the Zuari estuary. According to a January 2024 inspection report by the Goa Coastal Zone Management Authority, deepening the 9.66-km channel to 19 metres would generate approximately 15 million cubic metres of dredged material.
The fisherfolk organisations warned that dredging on this scale could alter the estuary’s natural morphology, destabilise the seabed and threaten marine biodiversity, with consequences for fishing resources and the communities that depend on them.
The inspection report had recommended a fresh, independent Environmental Impact Assessment before dredging, along with comprehensive studies of potential impacts on terrestrial, aquatic and marine life.
Invoking the precautionary principle, Simoes said Goa’s environmental security and public health must not be sacrificed for industrial expansion. The organisations stressed that traditional fishing communities depend on healthy coastal ecosystems for their livelihoods, food security and cultural continuity.
They reiterated their demand for the complete scrapping of the channel-deepening project and associated Sagarmala port expansion plans, asserting that the concerns of fishing communities must be central to decisions affecting Goa’s coast.
The organisations said they would continue their campaign through lawful and democratic means to protect their rights, fishing grounds and coastal heritage.
As the matter returns to the NGT on November 2, the interim order has given the fisherfolk campaign renewed momentum, keeping the proposed project’s clearances in abeyance while questions over pollution, dredging impacts and environmental compliance remain before the Tribunal.
