Commentary
 

GOA'S VANISHING LANDSCAPE: WHERE IS CONSERVATION ON GOA'S AGENDA? By Bonny Fernandes Former Chief Planner, Goverment of India Posted on [Goanet-News] Goanet Reader Characterised as the "Queen of the East", Goa, under 450 years of Portuguese rule remained a relatively laid-back colony of 6,00,000 inhabitants, who lived a "susegado" life. Today, forty six years after Liberation, Goa is rapidly transforming itself, from a feudal agrarian economy into a modern industrial state, and an acclaimed tourist destination of international fame. It has 13,00,000 inhabitants, of which over 600,000 or 50 per cent live in urban areas. It took 450 years for Goa's population to reach 600,000 with an urban population of 87,000 people. Whereas in a span of 46 years Goa's population more than doubled and the urban population increased seven folds during the same period. The number of towns and cities increased from 11 to 26. Soon after Goa was liberated, I had the opportunity of visiting Goa on several occasions in my official capacity as Town & Country Planner with TCPQ, Government of India. During each visit, as I went around, I was enchanted with the picturesque landscape of the territory of Goa, which possessed rich and varied charms at different altitudes. The interior hilly region covered with rich green forests; the sub-mountainous region with undulating uplands and; the coastal plains, the most urbanized region of Goa, studded with coconut groves and lovely green paddy fields. Each exuded its own beauty. But the most picturesque region embraced the lower basins of the Mandovi and the Zuari rivers. Indeed, nature has endowed Goa with lush green vegetation and breathtaking scenery of the lofty Konkan Ghats, punctuated by the solitary majesty of the "Dud Sagar" waterfalls in the east. Tropical luxuriance and cool verdure of giant areca groves, pulsating with crystalline streams on the hillside and the peaceful riverine beauty of the serenely flowing Mandovi and Zuari in the plains, emptying into the Arabian sea, among the tall coconut fronds screening the clouds of Goa's golden shores in the west, and its variegated urban landscape dotted with churches, temples and mosques, with their own architectural design and character, quite different from those of any other part of India. Alas! During my recent visits, I find Goa's magnificent landscape rapidly vanishing, obliterated by haphazard urban expansion and unimaginative real-estate development. Development, be it for residential or commercial purpose, has occurred in an unplanned manner, resulting in loss of good agricultural land in the environs of the cities of Panjim, Mapusa, Margao and Vasco-de-Gama, and most of all it has led to the defacement of natural landscape. The present concentration of urban population in the Talukas (sub-districts) of Tiswadi, Bardez, Salcette and Murmagao, classified as "Old Conquest Areas" is a consequence of the earlier occupation of these 'Concellos' by the Portuguese, who by and large concentrated their development efforts in Panjim, Margao, Mapusa and Vasco-de-Gama. While the remaining seven Talukas -- the new conquest areas -- were neglected. At that time there was hardly any population pressure as compared to what is now. Rapid urbanization in Goa in the aftermath of liberation has put pressure on the cities of Panjim, Mapusa, Margao, and Vasco, which are sprawling to the extent of degrading the natural landscape and usurping fertile agricultural land, while the emerging built-form of these cities is eroding the urbanity. Many of the qualities which Goa's cities of Panjim, Margao, Mapusa and Vasco possessed once upon a time are now being eroded. While these cities are expanding spatially and quantitatively as never before, their quality of urbanity is diminishing dangerously. Whether resulting from planned or organic growth, these cities inherited from the Portuguese rulers had a character and local identity, which lent to their imageability. Today, Goa's cities are in crises. Once great centres of civic life have now turned into urban jungles, where the profiteers and motor vehicles rule. An entirely new environment is being created, which presents problems of cultural and environmental degradation. The problem of cultural incongruity has manifested itself most dramatically in the built-form of the cities and their environs. They are alien to the cultural experience of the Goans. Unfortunately, the conscious aesthetic discernment, the ability to recognize the ugly and the beautiful is not a common quality. Inhabitants of the cities have been pushed into living among surroundings in which beauty has little or no place. In the past, socio-cultural and climatic factors were strong determinants of built-form, today market forces are shaping the built-form of the urban habitat in Goa. In the absence of an urban policy, haphazard physical expansion taking place in the urban centres of Goa, poses serious implications for the environment and the economy. Such development makes provision of infrastructure, like roads, sewerage, water supply, and other community facilities prohibitively expensive. The urban areas to a large extent are devoid of sewerage, whereby night soil is disposed through septic tanks, leading to contamination of ground-water. Over exploitation of beaches for tourism related activities, especially along the coast of Bardez taluka has severely degraded the natural sand dunes. Calangute, Baga and Anjuna Beach areas are the most densely populated areas with a density of about 1012 persons per square kilometer as compared to 624 persons per square kilometer in the Bardez Taluka. Further, there is chronic shortage of water supply; ground water quality has deteriorated because of disposal from septic tanks; area suffers from housing congestion and increasing traffic congestion, swamped by tourists and local residential population. Its skyline and natural landscape undergoing drastic changes. The entire development conjuresup an image of urban chaos. Successive governments in Goa, apathetic towards environmental protection, have helped create a state in crisis, searching for its identity. Environment is where we all live, including the politicians, and development is what we all do for economic and social progress to improve our lot within that abode. The two are inseparable. Development must coexist with commitment and sensitivity towards the environment. Environment cannot remain a side issue in decision making. The uncontrolled physical expansion of the cities in the coastal areas has had serious implications for the urban environment, and with increasing focus on tourism, conservation and growth is creating conflicting demand on land. Such a dilemma underscores need for a regional development planning policy for engendering balanced development in Goa as against the present lop-sided development. Population of Goa is unevenly distributed. Talukas of Tiswadi, Bardez, Salcette and Murmagao, situated  in the coastal plains, contain 75 per cent of Goa's population, 50 per cent of its urban population; and also it is the main agricultural zone of the State. The population density of these Talukas range from 960 to 1240 persons per square kilometer, as against 100 to 600 persons per square kilometer in Talukas situated in the interior region of Goa. In the face of rapid urbanization, any urban policy for Goa must aim at diverting the future urban population to the interior Talukas by expanding those existing towns which are potential growth centres or even to the extent of creating new towns. Goa needs to develop explicit settlement strategies to guide the process of urbanization, such as, building up small towns more closely integrating them with their rural hinterland. The interior is rich in forests and mineral resources. These areas which constitute the natural resource base of Goa could be the recipients of an appreciable proportion of future urban population increase. They also abound in scenic beauty and could be developed as tourist spots. While the main beauty spots of the coastal areas are the beaches, the interior of Goa, can have many attractions for those tourists looking for natural landscape, golf-courses, boating and water sports on the navigable rivers and also enjoy Goa's folklore. The development of potentialities of the interior region would serve the dual purpose of checking the drain on good agricultural lands in the coastal plains and at the same time open up the hitherto inaccessible hilly and forest areas. One fails to understand that despite the existence of the Town & Country Planning Board, set up to implement the Goa Town & Country Planning Act 1974; the 'State Committee on Environment' set up under environmental Protection Act, to deal with development projects in coastal areas; The Eco-Development Council for controlling and directing major development along the beaches; and The Goa State Land Resource Management at the State level, to have let the cities in the coastal-belt expand haphazardly with scant regard for the environment. If these institutions are not sub-serving satisfactorily the purpose for which they were created, then it is about time to think of revamping those institutions concerned with urban policy and environmental protection.  The 74th Constitutional Amendment Act 1992 devolves urban planning and development responsibilities to city Municipalities, which are accountable to the public, unlike the city development authorities, which are not elected bodies. The Act also ensures greater degree of meaningful involvement of the inhabitants of the cities in the urban planning and development process. Under these circumstances, people should not wait until urban environmental problems assume staggering proportions before the authorities wake up to address the problem. The complex problems which have developed in urban -- Goa over the years should arouse public sentiments, making powers-that-be to turn their attention to improve urban conditions and quality of life of the urbanites. Conservation of natural beauty of local environment is something in which every patriotic Goan should be committed to. If one is sensitive to the design of the man-made built environment, as it affects the people and the lives they live, then it should be our greatest concern to express ourselves against the onslaught of vandalism rampant in and around the cities and against the degradation of natural landscape and scenic grandeur of Goa. For if we do not act instantly we will be witness to wiping out the last vestiges of nature, landscape and rich and fertile agricultural land, the characteristics which typify Goa. We are answerable to our future generation, and so we must preserve our legacy for them. Neither the politicians, nor the bureaucrats, and for that matter the urban and regional planners, seem to be sensitive to Goa's natural endowments and its cultural heritage. There is hardly any consciousness or effort for conservation and maintenance of the character of the cities of Goa. With 13 Governments and three stints of President's Rule in the past 17 years, the successive governments, with their preoccupation with matters other than governance, the subject of conservation has not found a place on their agenda. In the meantime Goa's heritage is being compromised to satisfy commercial greed of the real estate developers and land-mafia. While it is essential to provide the basic amenities which tourists have come to expect, we must not surrender or compromise a very real identity, which is so apparent to anyone with perception and which were held on to over centuries. Development, essential for economic and social progress can co-exist with commitment and sensitivity toward environment. This is where the Goans must ensure that the State Government draws up measures designed to harmonize urban development with Goa's natural landscape. For the municipalities in Goa to be the key agents of development, as stipulated in the 74th Constitutional Amendment Act 1992, they need enhanced institutional and financial capacity. Notably, access to more of the wealth generated by the cities themselves. Qualified manpower would be required to carry out the responsibility bestowed on the municipal bodies of preparing plans for the cities. The 'Goa Bachao Abhiyan' (the citizens' campaign group) should spearhead active public participation in the administrative process of the local urban government, which is closest to the people. Because of its prominence as 'vox populi' it ought to play a key role in civic affairs, instead of leaving mainly to municipal councillors and the bureaucracy, whose values and effectiveness are not always equal to the needs of the people. THE WRITER is former Chief Planner of the Government of India. He has a Bachelor's Degree in Architecture and a Master's in City Planning from the University of California at Berkeley. He served with the Central Government from 1956 to 1983. He was on a U.N. assignment as U.N. Advisor in Urban and Regional Planning for over five years. He retired as Chief Planner, Government of India at the end of 1983. After his retirement he served as Visiting Professor of Urban Design with the School of Planning and Architecture, New Delhi. He also was a member of the Metropolitan Transport Team set up by the National Planning Commission. He was also a member of the National Commission on Urbanization.