The Dire Mismanagement Of St Inez Creek-I

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THIS is the first part of a series of articles chronicling the ecological and civic tragedy of one of Panaji’s arterial drainage lifeline – the ten thousand years old St Inez creek erroneously labelled as a nullah or an open city sewer. Time is running out for saving low lying areas of Panaji and the densely populated low lying areas of Ribandar, Chimbel, Merces, St Cruz and Taleigao from a major ecological catastrophe which would appear either in the form of massive and almost irreversible flooding or an epidemic – a public health nightmare.

Within the next seven to twelve years the property prices in these areas would have zero value because people would not be able to live in flood prone, stinking and unhealthy areas. In AD 1107 when the Kadambas were ruling Goa, the island of Tiswadi had a different hydrography. It was drained by much wider floodplains of Mandovi and Zuari rivers. Waters of Mandovi estuary touched the Cujira hill whereas Zuari washed the Pilar hillock. The low-lying landscape was crisscrossed by a network of saline rivulets and creeks, which were subjected to tidal influences.

Besides regulating monsoon storm water flow these wider and deeper creeks also sustained rich fisheries. The Kadambas named the area where the capital city of Panaji stands today as – ‘Pajjani-Khalli’ which meant land of creeks where small canoes could ply. Three passes (locally known as ‘paj/panz’) across the Chimbel, Calapur and Taleigao hills connected the old capital of Goa Kadambas-Gopaka or Govapuri to Pajjanikhalli.

The three indispensable lifeline creeks on which Panaji’s ecological security depends are the – Ribandar-Chimbel creek (source in Merces watershed), Ourem Creek (source at Cabessa ward, Calapur/St Cruz) and Santa Inez creek (source below the present Goa University boys’s hostel).

The government has full ownership and authority over the normal historical courses and setbacks of these three lotic water bodies under the Revenue Code, 1968, Irrigation Act, 1973, EPA, 1986, Water Pollution Control Act, 1981, TCP Act, 1974, Goa Panchayat Raj Act, 1995 etc. But the concerned departments have never monitored the status of these precious ecological assets and have blatantly turned a blind eye since 1980-1 to he massive ecological destruction of these creeks.

All the three creeks need to be restored to their original length and width with the pre-existing setbacks so that their normal ecological functions and services are regained. All the three creeks are under considerable stress. Along its’ entire channel Chimbel creek has been obstructed, encroached and reclaimed at several points. At Bondir, Calapur a huge private housing complex has been built over the channel of Ourem creek, which drains into Pante cantor branch that flows in North West direction before becoming the channel known as ‘Ourem creek’.

A little further, if we follow the narrow channel of the Ourem creek from the middle of the uncultivated Khazan paddy fields behind the Bondir ward upto Cabesa ward then the ecological tragedy of major drainage artery of densely populated Santa Cruz village would be revealed with mega projects aiming to finish the watershed. The Fontainhas arm of the Ourem creek, which touched the road was systematically reclaimed by unscrupulous private parties since 1980 and all the concerned government departments turned a blind eye when a private automobile show room was built up on land reclaimed from the Ourem creek. This showroom, which has been established by raising the height of the ground above the road level has now become an artificial dam blocking the normal monsoon drainage from Fontainhas ward.

In total violation of laws, scrapyards, hutments and houses have mushroomed on Chirculem, Pantecantor and Neuginagar bunds that are supposed to be totally free from any such constructions. Solid waste, scrap, sewage, oil, grease, acids now freely enter the Ourem creek from these areas. At low tide near ‘ponte de linhares’ bridge the air smells of hydrogen sulphide and ammonia-indicating severe water pollution.

The St Inez creek has an interesting hydrography. Creeks are natural water bodies with soft, sedimentary bottom that develops into benthos. But a destructive and ecologically dangerous proposal has been forwarded by WAPCOS limited, the consultants hired by CCP to prepare a detailed project report on Santa Inez creek. They suggest that the entire creek should be converted into an RCC lined canal. The Santa Inez creek has no saviour. The citizens on its’ banks have turned against it. The High Court had to intervene recently, shocked by the utter apathy of the authorities and indifference of the citizens. Desilting is just a temporary solution. In no way would it nurse the encroached creek to its’ original ecological glory. The silt is teeming with dangerous and toxic waste and harmful human pathogens. If this toxic waste finds its way into the ground water, drinking water and food items then a new wave of diseases may hit the local residents.

The Santa Inez creek ecosystem has to be understood holistically – right from its’ source to its’ confluence with Mandovi estuary. Actually the seven kms long serpentine creek has two sections – a freshwater part which emerges from the paddy fields of Taleigao and is separated at Tonca, near Kamrabhat from the incoming saline tidal waters. There is an old sluice gate at Kamrabhat, which used to be maintained by the Communidade of Taleigao. From Kamrabhat to fire brigade complex the creek gathers a lot of sewage and solid waste. One arm of the creek begins from fire brigade complex and meets Mandovi behind the indoor stadium complex at Campal. Another short arm joins it to Campal Lake. The major arm truncated by RCC walls meets Mandovi near the Old GMC complex after crossing the DB Bandodkar road. Three major drains from the hinterland used to discharge monsoon stormwater in Santa Inez creek. The drain flowing from EDC building to Sushila building and emptying into the creek near Daulat building was obliterated in the 70s. The drain from Sati temple is in a bad shape. Another drain from Ganesh temple, Bhatulem meeting the creek near fire brigade has been blocked and encroached obstructing free flow of water.

Non-functioning of these drains is a major cause of stagnation of water and consequent rise in mosquito-borne diseases.

In 2000-1 my student Vijender Kumar Pal tested the water samples of Santa Inez creek at 18 points, before and during the monsoon. We were shocked to see the results. The toxic oil and grease contents were several times higher than normal. Nitrate and phosphate values broke all the limits. These tests had shown that citizens had been recklessly using the creek to dump all types of trade effluents, sewage, solid waste and toxic waste-thus poisoning their own ecological lifeline. At Kamrabhat massive eutrophication of the creek is now seen. This is a shame for the citizens of Panaji. (To be continued)