Issues pertaining to ENVIRONMENTAL HAZARDS in Goa

Hello World....... Thank you for visiting this page on issues pertaining to Goa in terms of Air Pollution, Water Pollution, Agricultural Land (soil) Pollution and Ground water Pollution from huge heaps of mining waste dumps including tailings, coal dust, other chemical effluents from chemical industries, and, nationalisation of our rivers into national waterways for shipping of coal from Goa to Karnataka. Goa is being turned into a Coal Corridor for the benefit of few corporate companies

Videos on LEGAL KNOWLEDGE Case status of issues taken up by Goa Foundation -NGO for environment protection

There are 3 topics on which you can find info on this website

1) Goa against Coal
View Photographs
View Videos   
News Articles on the internet

2) Goa against nationalisation of its Rivers
View Photographs (with Google Earth images of National waterways on Goan rivers)
View Videos
News Articles on the internet
Pollution in our Rivers (News articles and info)
Ground water table in Goa-North and South District (Source - Ministry of Water Resources - Govt of India)
Goa's State Fish is Mullet  (images and info)

3) Goa Against Mining
View Photographs (Google Earth images of mining pits close to water bodies)
View Videos
News articles on the internet
Case Studies from two selected mining communities of Goa (Human angle stories of life and suffering due to mining)
Human Rights Violations by Transnational Corporations in Goa and Chhattisgarh
What is meaning of Beneficiation of Iron Ore ?
What is Mining Waste dumps (called Tailings and Overburden)
PALE IRON ORE Mine (Pond for Tailings from mining dumps)
Codli Iron Ore Mine
Featured Mines (Iron ore, Manganese ore, Bauxite)


Regarding Mining - we would like to inform you the impact of MINING on WATER BODIES, agricultural land and RIVERS of Goa and how, for the financial benefit of few business persons, we the people in Goa, have been deprived of our right, to natural sources of drinking water (which are rapidly depleting) and water for agricultural purposes. Distance between a mining pit in Codli mining area and  Mahadayi River is only 87 metres as per Google Earth image. 73 wells in the villages in Goa have gone dry due to mining. Check out the Socio Economic impact of mining in Goa. Mining is temporary business activity but agricultural activity is hundreds of years old in Goa and restoration of the agricultural land, after mining activity is over, will take centuries. Mining silt is destroying our paddy fields and the livelihood of our farmers.

When all the fresh water bodies get polluted due to mining residue and dried up, will we drink the mining residue ? when our fields are destroyed by mining silt, will we eat the silt ?

We don't want mining in Goa. Mining is good for the corporate houses who make lot of profits and people associated with earnings from mining, but, mining is not good for Goa in the larger interest of Goans and its flora and fauna. It is a destructive industry.
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Regarding nationalisation of our Rivers in Goa for converting them into shipping waterways - This is the worst thing that can happen to our rivers. If we allow this to happen then the following scenario can be envisaged :

- adverse effect on marine ecology and destruction of mangroves which are very important
- adverse effect on fish output and fish survival. the fish and flora and fauna have a right to live and to enjoy their natural habitat. How can a few human beings act as predator on other life forms and destroy their natural habitat and chance of survival ? If other forms of life dont survive will we survive? When all the fish is dead, will we eat coal ?
- adverse effect on our fishermen's lives and livelihood. Through hundreds of years fishing has been their traditional way of life and livelihood. what happens to them and their descendants now ?
- once nationalised, our rivers, and, the area surrounding river banks, will be under the control of the central Govt and we will not have access to the same. imagine the livelihood of the fishermen, farmers, agriculturists, and local residents who are dependant on the rivers for their livelihood and survival
- our rivers are already too much contaminated and further contamination of water and air with exhaust from the shipping barges using diesel fuel, will make the situation a hopeless case. Visit the news articles on Rivers, on this site, to understand how much pollution has already happened to our rivers. Should we not protect our rivers ? Water is life and life is water.

We dont want nationalisation of our Rivers. 

The rivers of Goa are our Rivers, nurtured and protected by our Goan ancestors and we want to have 100% rights over them and we want to protect them for our next generation.
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Regarding Coal pollution - The-powers-that-be... are trying to convert our beautiful Goa into a COAL CORRIDOR. Our people are already falling sick and dying with respiratory illnesses due to air pollution. Why is our small state being ravaged for the financial benefit of few corporate houses.? As per the Constitution of India - the right to life and to clean air and clean environment - is before the right of business houses to do business and earn profit. We demand our right to a clean and healthy environment.

When most of the Goan population, who is a potential target for getting respiratory diseases fall sick, what happens to our life and times ? can we blame the public servants, who are in authority over us, whose salaries are paid by us but are working against the interest of the common man ? Just as the pollution affects us, the common man, it also affects the public servants. We have the same lungs and biological make-up.

We don't Goa to be made into a COAL CORRIDOR. Air pollution affects the lungs of all of us as we all breathe the same air. Goa is a tourism state. Let us promote tourism. 

We want to live a healthy life. We request and demand the right to a healthy environment in Goa. Let NO INJUSTICE BE DONE towards our health and our right to live in healthy environment.
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