Team Goemkarponn
Canacona: Panic gripped farmers at Khalwadem on Wednesday morning after toxic molasses waste allegedly entered the local rivulet, turning its waters reddish and seeping into nearby chilli and vegetable plantations.
The contamination reportedly occurred after an iron plate of the controversial molasses tank at Shristhal Industrial Estate gave way during dismantling, allowing a large quantity of waste to flow into the open. The rivulet, which serves as a primary water source for cultivation in the area, flows about a kilometre behind the hillock where the defunct liquor factory’s molasses-filled tank is located.
Early in the morning, women working in their chilli (locally known as ‘Porus’) and vegetable fields noticed a change in the colour of the stream water. Soon after, they found that the contaminated water had entered parts of their cultivation fields.
Several women farmers complained of irritation on their hands and legs after coming into contact with the polluted water. “The water has turned toxic and already appears to have killed marine life in the rivulet. It will damage our chilli and vegetable crops and may further flow into the Talpona river and eventually the sea,” a distressed farmer said.
The incident comes days after a bull accidentally fell into a molasses waste-filled trench on Monday night and was rescued on Tuesday. Tank dismantling work resumed immediately thereafter.
Angry locals confronted the Canacona Dy. Collector and police officials, alleging inaction and failure to implement precautionary environmental safety measures despite being fully aware of the risks involved.
Shristhal Biodiversity Management Committee Chairman Vinay Tubki squarely blamed the taluka authorities for the situation. “The disaster we feared has become a reality. Despite our strong objections, authorities permitted the company to empty large quantities of toxic waste into trenches and ground tanks within the same vicinity. Now, the waste has somehow found its way into the rivulet,” he said.
Tubki further alleged that authorities and company representatives had assured residents that no waste removed from the tank would remain within the Industrial Estate. “After emptying the tank, the highly charged molasses solvent was stored in trenches and ground tanks nearby. I informed the Biodiversity Board and the Pollution Control Board, who assured prompt action. I now appeal to the Chief Minister to personally intervene to protect people from this environmental disaster,” he added.
Residents have demanded immediate containment measures, scientific assessment of water quality, and compensation for affected farmers, as fears mount over long-term ecological and agricultural damage in the region.
