River banks dotted with numerous loading points for the mines have been destroying the riparian belt. Every year the heavy monsoon run off carries the overflow and wash off from the huge quantum of mining rejects into the rivers.
These mining rejects along with slime and pumped out turbid water from deep mining pits are then transported further downstream by the rivers. When the river traverses flat terrain, the velocity gets reduced and mining reject which is carried in suspension gets settled in the channel, resulting ultimately in the overflowing of banks and inundation of low-lying areas along the banks.
Silt settled in estuarine zone changes the geomorphology of the estuarine bed and results saline water intrusion to the upstream. The siltation problem is acute in the Khandepar river. The silt often chokes the filter beds of the water treatment plant. The Bicholim River that once was navigable has lost its navigability on account of siltation.
The main rivers of Goa, the Mandovi and Zuari are also heavily polluted due to mining activities. While Zuari has 10 operating mines in its catchment Mandovi has 27 mines depositing whopping 70, cubic tonnes of iron particulates every year in the Mandovi River. State Mining Policy of Goa does not acknowledge the impact of the sector on rivers and water bodies and fails to lay guidelines regarding distance of mines from water bodies, sustainable waste disposal, safe transport of ore from rivers, etc.
The haphazard and the unregulated growth of alluvial sand mining has also damaged the river ecosystem. Even after criticized heavily by the Supreme Court on the unrestricted, unplanned and illegal sand mining going on in the rivers of Goa excavation of sand since last two decades is going on in haphazard way by increasing the depth of the river.
The traditional fishermen have already suffered losses. Government has not designed and implemented mechanism for long term control measures for exercising check on illegal sand mining. Central Pollution Control Board has identified 8 river stretches in Goa which are critically polluted. Total 84 km of river length is polluted in Goa. Details are given in Table For gambling, as the floating casino boats are there in Panaji since last few years, polluting the river water as well as social environment.
It has been indicated that the untreated waste water, sewage that are released is responsible for increasing pollution of the river water. The details are as follows-. Dam Name Completion. Mandovi Basin North Goa The purpose primarily is to develop waterways. The Central government has already notified six rivers of Goa as national waterways. Thus total Km river stretches in Goa will be subjected to dredging, river training works, concretization of banks, and construction of navigation aids such as light houses, jetties etc.
However, this move has been opposed as it would adversely hit marine environment and the livelihood of the fishing community and the rights of Goa over all these six rivers. Locals have alleged that the nationalisation has been happening to help the coal importing firms to use the inland waterways, and not to promote the use of rivers for transportation.
Ecological Significance of Mahadayi for Goa [17]. A very large quantity of fresh water for Goa flows down from the Mandovi. Core catchment of Mandovi or Mahadayi as it is called lies in the heavy rainfall, thickly forested, approximately sq km of mountain topography of Khanapur taluka of Karnataka State.
In that sense Goa has been at the mercy of its two larger and powerful neighbouring states viz. Maharashtra and Karnataka. Ambitious plans of these states to create large storages or divert waters close to the sources of rivers flowing into Goa have made the State of Goa vulnerable. The massive diversion of the Mahadayi water from this area will see a quantum drop in the fresh water flows and silt flowing down from the denuded mountain ranges from across the border and will adversely affect the health of Mahadayi basin.
Mahadayi Water Dispute [18]. Mahadayi River has been making headlines because of the inter-state water sharing dispute over its water between Karnataka and Goa. Dispute triggered in when Karnataka began the work on diversion of Mahadayi waters to Malaprabha River a tributary of Krishna River.
Total submergence of these dams would be Karnataka started construction and digging canals at Kalasa Bhanduri, just 1.
Claiming that Goa has surplus of Goa however maintained that the forecasted demand does not include environmental flows for Mahadayi basin which it also claimed is not a surplus basin.
While Goa could support its argument with factual evidences like 1,81, ha area under Sugarcane in Malaprabha basin which guzzles TMC water annually or Pepsico plant which is supplied with 4 lakh liters on Malaprabha water every day; Karnataka failed to provide in front of the tribunal details of the schemes it proposed, had not secured requisite clearances, and also had not assessed the impact of water diversion on Mahadayi River.
This however is only an interim order and dispute is likely to carry on. River Health Card has been prepared based on basin information assessed till now and few additional sources links provided. Rationale behind specific categorization has been given wherever necessary. Need for river conservation policy. In the times of worsening inter-state water disputes, increased ill effects of mining, growing tourism and associated pollution; rivers of Goa need to be protected on priority.
Need of the hour is for the state to have a comprehensive river conservation policy and also to make the best use of the available surface water resources. Though, all the rivers flowing in Goa are small in size, they are a source of life and livelihood and there is urgent need to draw a visionary plan for sustainable use of the river in the development of locals by creating independent basin management cell for each river for looking into protection and conservation of the water resources.
From source to mouth, river is a living entity and that is why a master plan drawn should focus on the sustainable development with the utmost respect to environment ecology and wildlife. In July , the Goa River Conservation Network GORICON was established under the initiative of Nandkumar Kamat with Rajendra Kerkar as the state organizer to empower the riverine people to fight for their traditional, ecological, cultural, social and economic rights and for the sustainable use of the biotic and abiotic resources.
GORICON, is an initiative of riverine people of Goa to prepare peoples master plan for conservation and sustainable and utilization of the riverine resources. This report has been jointly prepared by Shri Rajendra P.
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Email Address. Sign Me Up. Rivers of Goa Drainage systems Drainage systems, also known as river systems , are the patterns formed by the streams, rivers, and lakes in a particular drainage basin.
Ensconced on the slopes of Western Ghats which skirts its eastern boundary and lapped by the blue expanse of the Arabian Sea in the West, Goa admeasures an area of about 3, sqkm. Goa Situated between Karnataka and Maharashtra. Among these rivers Mandovi and Zuari drain Sq. Out of nine rivers, six originate and flow exclusively within the state boundaries and do not have any interstate implications.
However, river Terekhol and Chapora originate in Maharashtra state while Mandovi originates in Karnataka. These rivers form an integral part of Goan life because of their portability, irrigation facilities, agriculture and coastal resources, transportation of mining ores, etc Rivers of Goa are unique and are both tidal as well as Rainfed. In Goa, during monsoon, water within the watershed areas is drained out through the major rivers to the sea.
The rivers are influenced by the tidal influx upto the distance of 40Km inland towards upstream. Salinity factor in the river varies sharply during monsoon and non-monsoon seasons and so does the physico-chemical quality of water in wells along the riverbanks.
According to the recent findings of National Institute for Oceanography during the last glacial period, i. It originates in the hilly areas of Uttar Kannada district of Karnataka and enters Canacona near Mule and flows Northwest till Poinguinim for about 15 kms in Canacona. It meets the sea near Mashe. Flowing for the distance of about 12km, the river joins the Arabian Sea near Devakaran. It has length of 7. The Molore river that starts from Damani with the length of 6km joins the Saleri.
Today, increasing agriculture, deforestration and other man-made activities are responsible for threatening very existence of this river. The haphazard projects undertaken for tourism purpose have adversely affected the natural course of the river. A small stream which comes from the Saligao hill joins the Baga river at Arpora. By flowing for the about 10km, the river joins finally to the Arabian Sea. Since last more than three decades, village of Baga has been witnessing a massive tourism activities.
To provide facilities, hotel and restaurants has increased by manifold in Baga and surrounding areas. Garbage disposal and sewerage treatment too, has resulted in polluting the Baga river. Several encroachments have reduced the river to gutter. This river has already on the path of privatization. Some of the private resorts have started boating and cruising facilities for the tourists. These various activities have resulted in seriously destroying the natural drainage of the river. For Goa a very large quantity of fresh water flows from springs and rivulets originating from just across the border in the Western Ghats of either Maharashtra or Karnataka.
In that sense Goa has been at the mercy of its two larger and powerful neighbouring states viz. Maharashtra and Karnataka. Ambitious plans of these states to create large storages or divert waters close to the sources of rivers flowing into Goa have made the State of Goa vulnerable. All the eleven main rivers and their 42 tributaries today are facing numerous threats and if urgent appropriate steps are not taken, these water bodies might even extinct.
Extensive mining in the state has been silting the rivers though mining rejects, transport of the mineral by barges through rivers oil and grease along with mineral ore causes severe pollution. Ammonium Nitrate used as the explosive for mining, adds nitrates to the river water causing eutrophication. Some of the industries too are responsible for causing water pollution. Discharge of untreated waste water into the streams, is another dominant polluter. In the times of worsening inter-state water disputes, increased ill effects of mining, growing tourism and associated pollution; rivers of Goa need to be protected on priority.
Need of the hour is for the state to have a comprehensive river conservation policy and also to make the best use of the available surface water resources.
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