EARTH HOUR: GOENKARS DON'T CARE!
By Valmiki Faleiro.
Goans don’t care. About themselves, the community, or the world around them. Ninety-nine percent Margao households, as seen by my wife, two nieces and myself (fleetingly, from the wheel) between 8.30 to 9.30 p.m., March 28 – Earth Hour – were shining brightly! Margao was always Goa’s significant town. It would be hazardous to guess what percentage of its citizenry today was even aware of the voluntary protest against environmental degradation – and humanity’s own future, with climate changes on at ailspin. The symbolic ‘Earth Hour’ protest began in Sydney-Australia two years ago. People switch off home electricity for just that one hour and live by candlelight … as our forefathers did, in an age when the world was a better place to live in. During that hour, I covered as much of Margao as four wheels made possible. I set westwards, to Mungul, bordering village Seraulim. Turned back into Madel, ‘grande’and ‘pequeno’, before proceeding to the northern extremity of Davondem, bordering Nuvem. Then parts of Ambajim, Fatorda, Gogol (bordering Raia.) Thence to Aquem, downtown Margao, Comba, and finally, close to the closing minutes, the area around Holy Spirit church. Ninety-nine percent darkness, meaning electric power, blissfully on.
In the ocean of darkness, there were some ‘bright’ spots, though. Permit me to recount some such from as much as I could see from the main streets, with three pairs of eyes for help. Mungul had not a single isle of concern, including in my own creation of 32 house sites called ‘Antonio Vicente Falleiro Bagh.’ In Madel, even as the chapel cross across the road shone brightly, my former colleague-Municipal Councillor, Maurilio Dias’ house was in pitch darkness. Around Fatorda, Luisa Coutinho’s house was the only place showing concern. While ‘Canape’ was alive with manmade light, my friend, Jyoti Konkar’s house was an abode of natural solace. On the way to Aquem, only incomplete building complexes involuntarily observed the‘Earth Hour.’ Irony is boundless. Aquem’s newly opened St. Sebastiao church had not just lights, but a stage/music performance in full bloom. Chief Minister Digambar Kamat’s apartment was indarkness – but the helpful police sentry confessed that even wife Asha wasn’t home! My office building, ‘Fatima Chambers,’ at Dando, was in absolute darkness – I reckon more because of the string of holidays.
Comba, upper and lower, was disgrace …shining more than Mondays when Lord Damodar nocturnally visits on horseback on are turn trip from Zambaulim. Datta Damodar Naik’s house, though, was in darkness, even if the verandah lights shone brightly. ‘Bush’ Miranda’s house at Boxetollem was in darkness, as was another Municipal colleague, Ajit Hegde’s and his widowed sister-in-law, Radha’s. Around my home turf, the only people aware seemed to be Dr. Filipe Nery Correia, Eurico Silva,Jacinto Barreto Miranda, Pilar Society (at the former Pacheco Figueredo mansion), and my next-door neighbour, Elino Colaco. As regards the rest, Margaoites perhaps think like Herald’s daily pocket cartoonist, Idhar-Uddhar, who said, March 29, “In Goa, we don’t need to switch off the lights for‘Earth Hour.’ The Electricity Dept does it for us on a regular basis!” (ENDS.)
March 31, 2009
AGNELO GOMES FROM USA ON "can you help?"
Posted by: "AAssoc4994@aol.com" AAssoc4994@aol.com goancauses
Fri Mar 27, 2009 3:54 am (PDT)
Dear Veronica,
You're doing an excellent job by exposing inhuman Arabs in your articles. This is the only way we can enlighten the readers to take up the matter to the world human rights organization. We got to protect Goans in Kuwait from the harassment of inhuman Arabs. Goan maids come to Kuwait make their living because they cannot make a decent living in Goa. It appears the Kuwaitis who are maltreating their servants are uncivilized people, they're lucky their Alla Blessed them with oil dollars. Kuwaitis should set up a good example to the world in securing and respecting human rights.
When Saddam Hussein invaded Kuwait on 2nd August 1990 and trampled under his feet human rights of Kuwaitis, we the entire world condemned it and fought against Saddam Hussein. We oppose human rights abuses in any form anywhere in the world.
Agnelo Gomes,
The Goancauses,
Goa's number one Internet world wide organization to promote human rights,
USA
March 30, 2009
GOA SWAYS ...'SMP' STYLE by Valmiki Faleiro.
GOA SWAYS … 'SMP' STYLE!
By Valmiki Faleiro.
Remember SMP? Acronym of a Konknni expression about whistles and pubic hair, used here last week? If Goa’s last-lap colonial rule was ‘Salazar-shahi,’ this democratic era is‘SMP-shahi.’ Ministers are not bothered about people. Officials care lesser about people. And people do not care about their own common good. SMP-shahi! Let’s view this SMP mindset from another perspective. Even if the story about water contamination in Margao, played up as Page One lead by the local edition of a national daily this Feb 27 was exaggerated, Margao doubtlessly sits on a ticking time bomb.
A word on Margao. Down history, Margao was not just Salcete’s capital but Goa’s principal town. Salcete (including today’s Mormugao, bifurcated in Dec-1880) was the biggest taluka of the Old Conquests. Biggest in area, population, state revenues and foremost in political and cultural trends. “The most noble,” said ‘Oriente Conquistado.’“Athens of Goa,” was how Portuguese surveyor Antonio Lopes Mendes described Margao in ‘A India Portuguesa.’ Margao is going to dogs. Despite Digambar Kamat – a Minister most of the time, and now the Chief Minister – representing it since 1994. At least some Margao residents unwittingly drink government-supplied water laced with mutants of human excreta (my words.)
Let’s recap the newspaper report. A 1.5 litre sample of ‘potable’ tap water collected at Gogol-Margao was tested at the Goa State Pollution Control Board laboratory. Among the results: Coliform organisms – 540(maximum permissible limit: 10.) Faecal coliform – 240 (max. limit: zero.) In 100 ml of water! These bacteria can cause fatal gastric and liver illnesses. Years ago, warnings were sounded that Selaulim water was contaminated with deadly Trihalomethanes (THMs), linked to cancer. Not that there are no quality controls. At least on paper, treated water is tested at various points, from the post-treatment at Selaulim to the point of local reservoirs, before it is pumped into distribution lines. Let us assume the Public Health Engineering (PHE) guys are doing their job pumping only safe water into distribution. But then, everybody knows that Margao’s sub-soil is saturated with raw sewage. How does one prevent soil contaminants from seeping into the porous distribution pipe joints? This appears to be at the heart of the problem.
The age-old, under-capacity, ill-suitedseptic tank/soak pit system that has slowly but surely contaminated even ground water.The supreme irony is that crores have been – and are being – spent, since 1985/86, on Margao’s sewage system. Less than 10 percent households in the covered area have connected to the sewers – despite incentives, like almost free connections. I have an ancient, perennial, drinking water well in my compound. When a cluster of buildings rose in the adjoining property, I randomly tested its water over the last quarter century. E-coli and other bacteriological levels gradually increased. I am not suggesting that only Rohini Apts. was the cause, but despite being a Co-operative Housing Society, it has not connected to the sewage system. There won’t be a single uncontaminated water well in Margao, as I’ve said before. Who’s to blame? PHE guys, who work under Ministers? Who in turn are elected by us? The buck stops with us, the people. At least like those in Margao who have the sewage facility at their doorstep but have chosen not to connect.
Officials indeed have already suggested that water supply to errant households be cut.There was ministerial inertia. Except in the current controversy over Digambar Kamat reportedly reversing water disconnections to some buildings at Colmorod. Granted, the area is not under the sewage network. But what prevented the buildings, now receiving the Chief Minister’s benign sympathies, from using night soil tankers to regularly empty their septic tanks – instead of diverting their raw sewage into municipal drains? When elected leaders are irresponsible, officials wouldn’t lag far behind. I blame neither.
In today’s ‘Goa Meri Hai’, the all-pervasive mantra among elected men and bureaucrats belongs solely to us, the people. SMP!
P.S.: Last week’s column on Candolim’s beached ‘River Princess’ evoked an interesting response from Mumbai-based friend, Nikhil Purov. Says he: "From dust you rise, in dust you settle - a full circle. The Princess was possibly made from iron smelted out of Goa'siron ore (dust). Like salmon, it could have come full circle to return to its shores of origin.‘Rusting In Peace’ (RIP) I think could be a good epitaph.” (ENDS.)
The Valmiki Faleiro weekly.
By Valmiki Faleiro.
Remember SMP? Acronym of a Konknni expression about whistles and pubic hair, used here last week? If Goa’s last-lap colonial rule was ‘Salazar-shahi,’ this democratic era is‘SMP-shahi.’ Ministers are not bothered about people. Officials care lesser about people. And people do not care about their own common good. SMP-shahi! Let’s view this SMP mindset from another perspective. Even if the story about water contamination in Margao, played up as Page One lead by the local edition of a national daily this Feb 27 was exaggerated, Margao doubtlessly sits on a ticking time bomb.
A word on Margao. Down history, Margao was not just Salcete’s capital but Goa’s principal town. Salcete (including today’s Mormugao, bifurcated in Dec-1880) was the biggest taluka of the Old Conquests. Biggest in area, population, state revenues and foremost in political and cultural trends. “The most noble,” said ‘Oriente Conquistado.’“Athens of Goa,” was how Portuguese surveyor Antonio Lopes Mendes described Margao in ‘A India Portuguesa.’ Margao is going to dogs. Despite Digambar Kamat – a Minister most of the time, and now the Chief Minister – representing it since 1994. At least some Margao residents unwittingly drink government-supplied water laced with mutants of human excreta (my words.)
Let’s recap the newspaper report. A 1.5 litre sample of ‘potable’ tap water collected at Gogol-Margao was tested at the Goa State Pollution Control Board laboratory. Among the results: Coliform organisms – 540(maximum permissible limit: 10.) Faecal coliform – 240 (max. limit: zero.) In 100 ml of water! These bacteria can cause fatal gastric and liver illnesses. Years ago, warnings were sounded that Selaulim water was contaminated with deadly Trihalomethanes (THMs), linked to cancer. Not that there are no quality controls. At least on paper, treated water is tested at various points, from the post-treatment at Selaulim to the point of local reservoirs, before it is pumped into distribution lines. Let us assume the Public Health Engineering (PHE) guys are doing their job pumping only safe water into distribution. But then, everybody knows that Margao’s sub-soil is saturated with raw sewage. How does one prevent soil contaminants from seeping into the porous distribution pipe joints? This appears to be at the heart of the problem.
The age-old, under-capacity, ill-suitedseptic tank/soak pit system that has slowly but surely contaminated even ground water.The supreme irony is that crores have been – and are being – spent, since 1985/86, on Margao’s sewage system. Less than 10 percent households in the covered area have connected to the sewers – despite incentives, like almost free connections. I have an ancient, perennial, drinking water well in my compound. When a cluster of buildings rose in the adjoining property, I randomly tested its water over the last quarter century. E-coli and other bacteriological levels gradually increased. I am not suggesting that only Rohini Apts. was the cause, but despite being a Co-operative Housing Society, it has not connected to the sewage system. There won’t be a single uncontaminated water well in Margao, as I’ve said before. Who’s to blame? PHE guys, who work under Ministers? Who in turn are elected by us? The buck stops with us, the people. At least like those in Margao who have the sewage facility at their doorstep but have chosen not to connect.
Officials indeed have already suggested that water supply to errant households be cut.There was ministerial inertia. Except in the current controversy over Digambar Kamat reportedly reversing water disconnections to some buildings at Colmorod. Granted, the area is not under the sewage network. But what prevented the buildings, now receiving the Chief Minister’s benign sympathies, from using night soil tankers to regularly empty their septic tanks – instead of diverting their raw sewage into municipal drains? When elected leaders are irresponsible, officials wouldn’t lag far behind. I blame neither.
In today’s ‘Goa Meri Hai’, the all-pervasive mantra among elected men and bureaucrats belongs solely to us, the people. SMP!
P.S.: Last week’s column on Candolim’s beached ‘River Princess’ evoked an interesting response from Mumbai-based friend, Nikhil Purov. Says he: "From dust you rise, in dust you settle - a full circle. The Princess was possibly made from iron smelted out of Goa'siron ore (dust). Like salmon, it could have come full circle to return to its shores of origin.‘Rusting In Peace’ (RIP) I think could be a good epitaph.” (ENDS.)
The Valmiki Faleiro weekly.
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