Goemkapronn desk
VASCO: As many as 58 people on Thursday registered their suggestions and objections on the first day of a public hearing convened in Vasco by the Goa State Wetlands Authority (GSWA) regarding a proposal to declare Maimollem Lake as a wetland.
During the public hearing, several farmers and land owners in the Maimollem area put forth their concerns before a Grievance Committee of the GSWA over the declaration of Maimollem Lake as a wetland fearing that they would lose their livelihood and the rights on their land.
Speaking to reporters after the public hearing, Mormugao Biodiversity Board Chairman Yatin Kamurlekar explained that the proposal to declare Maimollem Lake as a wetland was placed by the Mormugao Biodiversity Board in October 2020.
“The NIO reports identified the fields and lake as the wetland area causing concerns to the people, farmers and landowners in the zone of influence and the buffer area. The people got a very patient hearing from authorities in the presence of Vasco MLA Krishna Salkar,” said Kamurlekar.
“We only request that authorities allow people to repair their house or develop houses in the buffer zone as per their previous FAR and also allow farmers to cultivate their farmlands so that their rights and privileges are protected, while the lake and wetland are saved and protected without inconveniencing anyone in the area,” said Kamurlekar.
Local councillor Fredrick Henriques said the draft wetland notification has declared the entire Maimollem stretch as a wetland right from Dactolem to Tanya Hotel with a 50-metre buffer zone.
“This has affected farmers, Communidade which own lands, tenants and private field owners and people in the buffer zone. There are many existing houses in the buffer zone and some landlords have not yet built houses on their land,” said Henriques.
“Though we support the wetland, we have reservations regarding the fate of the people and the farmers. Some people have objected to showing paddy fields in the ODP as a wetland. We have got assurance that farmers will be allowed to continue with their activities and the rights of the land owners will continue to remain.”
“We have now put forth that land owners be allowed to construct as per earlier TCP rules and FAR in their previous zoning because the plot has always been in existence. Authorities have taken our suggestions and will place it with the higher-ups.”
Appearing on behalf of his client, Adv. Sherwyn Correia said they had placed two issues before the committee,
“The NIO report states that Maimollem Lake is 60 per cent fallow land and only 13 per cent waterbody. Therefore, it does not come in the definition of wetland under the wetland rules which says paddy fields are exempted from the wetland,” said Sherwyn Correia.
“We showed survey plans indicating that Maimollem Lake is not a wetland but a paddy field.”
“I put forth that in case Maimollem Lake is declared as a wetland then it affects my human right to use my property. How can anyone restrict a person from using the property the way we want to when it is not a wetland in the first place?”
Environmental activist Adv. Savio Correia said he was in support of the draft notification of Maimollem as a wetland under the wetland rules.
“I put my points from the ecological and environmental point of view because the conservation of the lake as a wetland is very important to mitigate the threat of climate change and save sea rise and other natural disasters that are in the anvil,” said Adv. Savio Correia.
“I also pointed out concerns of landowners along the periphery of the lake that there will be restrictions on the development of their properties. I suggested that they recommend to wetland authorities that they should look at the classification of wetlands in Goa where urban area looked at differently from rural wetlands,” he said.
“I have suggested that efforts ought to be made by the GSWA with the central government so that some relief can be provided to the development along the periphery or the zone of influence in the urban wetlands of Goa,” he stated.
