Environment activists and members of some NGOs organised a human chain in Goa on Saturday, against the Karnataka government taking up works in the Mahadayi river basin.
Members of `Earthivist Collective’, `Save Mahadayi Save Goa Front’ and `Goa Heritage Action Group’ formed a chain from Miramar beach to the Mahadayi river front on the outskirts of Panaji. Protesters also laid out rangoli patterns and graphic art on walls against the project.
They held hands and chanted slogans like `Hail Mother Mandovi’ and `Amchi Mhadei Amchi Mayi’. They said that the Union government had turned a blind eye to the long-standing agitations by various NGOs against the project. They said that the Kalasa-Banduri Nala projects could damage the ecosystem around the river Mahadayi not only in Goa, but in Karnataka too. They said Karnataka was planning an inter-basin transfer of a huge quantity of waters that could affect aquatic life. “The plans include pre-tributary diversion of waters from various streams into the irrigation canals to be pumped into the Malaprabha river, which belong to a completely different basin. This will have long-term negative impacts on the ecology of Goa,” they said.
Activists Diana Tavares, Abhijit Prabhudesai, Sabita Mascarenhas, Zeferino Fernandes, Bhaskar Desai, Iftiyaz Syed and others participated in the protest.
