From
Microbiologist
Dr Nandkumar M Kamat
August 24 ,2022
Saving Soils in Goa?
Where politicians dissolved Goa State Land Use Board GSLUB and State Land Resources Management Committee to boost rampant land use change, land conversions and real estate development harming the soils?
ARE THE POLITICIANS JOKING?. Saving the Soils?.
DO YOU UNDERSTAND ANYTHING ABOUT SOILS OF GOA?.
There are 25 types of Soils in Goa (1995, Soil Atlas Of Goa, https://nbsslup.icar.gov.in/). But on basis of our own research this is a broader classification and more than 50 types exist. Many soils are very rare. Some soils in Canacona, Anjuna are radioactive.
Indias best trained and most experienced soil Scientist stays in Goa. Ex director and joint secretary of Dept of STE Dr N.P.S.Varde. An alumnus of University of agricultural sciences, Dharwar, University of Hawaii and with experience of working in USA, Africa and India to conserve the soils. Then who can forget ex chief secretary of Goa Dr J.C. Almeida?
No govt is serious in Goa about any type of soil so the MOU signed by the state Government with Isha foundation is a big farce and an expensive publicity stunt.
How various governments in Goa Spoiled The Soil resources since 1965;?.
1. By dumping detail recommendations on conservation of soils made immediately after liberation by NCAER, New Delhi in its exhaustive Techno Economic Survey of Goa, Daman and Diu in 1964 . The MGP government was responsible for this
2. By not supporting the recommendations made by its high level officer, an agricultural economist Dr JC Almeida in his two volume bilingual English -Portuguese publication "Aspects of Agricultural activities in Gos, Volimes I and II, Govt printing press, 1967" . The MGP govt knew about his work and expertise buy liberally permitted clear felling of government forest trees and rampant destruction of massive coastal sand dunes both extremely damaging to soils
3. In 1968 the Goa land revenue act and rules were passed with detail sections on lands and soils and duties of revenue inspectors in these matters but these sections were never invoked by taluka mamlatdars who passively watched the erosion of fertile revenue lands and tenanted lands. MGP, INC,BJP are jointly resposible for murder of this act. Governments under these parties from 1970 liberally granted permissions for laterite and basalt stone quarries which are extremely damaging to surrounding soils.
4. By dumping the first detail report, a technical monograph on systematic survey and mapping of soils of Goa published by ICAR in 1973 recommending control of soil erosion , treatment of acidic soils, protection of top soils, fertile soils and soils in mining area . The MGP was in power till 1979 and did very little despite best intentions of ex CM Shashikala Tai Kakodkar who was serious about standards of cultivation which were notified by the government but never implemented since 1976 by revenue and agriculture department
5. The soil conservation division got itself involved in the big business of repairs and construction of bundhs or embankments in ecosensitive Khazan lands without undertaking standard treatment of saline soils. More than 10000 out of 18000 hectares of Khazan land in Goa has become highly saline and useless for cultivation and getting converted into Mangrove forests. All the governments ruling Goa since 1975 are responsible for systematic destruction of fertility of Goas khazan farms
6. By dumping the high level report of task force committee to prepare Ecodevelopment plan for Goa, March 1982 under well known agricultural scientist Dr. M S. Swaminathan. The congress government knew that the Chairman of Planning Commission of India the then PM Indira Gandhi had appointed this task force but no Congress CM in Goa except Pratapsingh Rane paid attention to it. Mr Rane tried to include some recommendations in the first regional plan of Goa, 1989. However not much was seen in the field of soil conservation with boom in mining sector and both Mandovi and Zuari rivers receiving 2-3 lakh metric tons of sediment from mining areas EVERY YEAR.
7. About the same time in 80s the Government of India came out with national land use policy and recommended formation of mandated State Land Use Boards and state land resources management committees under chsirmanships of Chief Secretaries in all states and UTs. Goa took long time to do it but eventually Goa State Land Use Board or GSLUB was formed around 1985-6 under CTP in town and country planning department. But it could never take off as on one side Govt was protecting interests of mining sector, ignoring land conversion in tourist belt and promoting a massive building boom as Goa got rapidly urbanised from 1981-2001. GSLUB remained on paper holding some seminars, publishing some small reports but practically doing nothing to conserve land and soil resources.
8. In 1995 Dr Sehgal of National bureau of Soil and Land Resources mapping Nagpur released the Soil Atlas of Goa based on soil samples taken in 500 quadrats covering full state. The Atlas was displayed in office of the director of Agriculture but was never sold to public. The recommendations in the atlas were never implemented after its release. The Congress govt then in power did nothing to implement the soil conservation measures and cropping pattern suited to 25 different soil types.
9. The governments after passing of 73 rd and 74 th constitutional amendments came under pressure to dissolve GSLUB and State Land Resources Management Committee but till 2002 these attempts were not successful. Then without any public notice both were disbanded silently in or around 2005-7 and thus ended any committment to conserve the land and soil resources of Goa.
10. The agriculture department continued to receive huge funds in the meantime for soil surveys, testing, mapping etc and some new soil reports were prepared and then shelved. This took place from 2007-19. Nobody bothered to ask this department anything about these new soil survey reports. And what happened to them after spending more than Rs 20 crores.
11. Biggest disappointment was from forest department which had collected huge funds under Compensatory Afforestation Fund Management and Planning Authority or CAMPA. In 2011 It made big announcement on spending Rs 10 crores on soil conservation projects inside the wildlife sanctuaries. We are yet to see any progress in past 11 years. There are different soil types covering 142446 hectares of government forests.
I have done considerable lobbying since 1980 for conservation of soil resources of Goa. During our research work we found that soils in Goa have hundreds of useful microorganisms. In a Soil from Canacona my PhD student Dr Sonashia Velho Pereira discovered an powerful Antibiotic producing bacteria Streptomyces parvulus. We concluded that Goa will lose a factory of new antibiotics if such soils are not conserved.
At Goa University mycorrhiza expert botanist Senior Professor B. F. Rodrigues and his PhD students have done lot of work on mycorrhiza in soils since 1992. But no government department has cared to use this research beneficial for soil conservation and organic farming.
In fact Goa government doesn't care at all for importance of useful soil microrganisms. It has no plan, scheme project to survey and map these soil microbial resources. However for Goa state Biodiversity Board I am doing some work to compile what we know of the state's soil Biodiversity.
Earthworms are extremely important for maintenance of soil fertility but the knowledge of Goa government on Earthworms diversity is poor.
Most of the soils in Goa are auriferous meaning contain recoverable microscopic pure Gold particles. Highest number of pure Gold particles are found in yellow sands of Taleigao and all lateritic soils.
Most of the soils and north Goa beach sands have black magnetite Iron oxide particles which you can separate using a magnet.
Government of Goa will find it impossible to conserve soils unless it implements existing laws and rules, and previous recommendations.
More important and practical than MOU with glamorous Isha Foundation is the urgent need for MOU with Kerala State Land Use board. We are nowhere near their achievements.
See here
https://kslub.kerala.gov.in/
No government in Goa will dare to reactivate Goa State Land Use board and Goa State Land resources Management committee. Many MOUs will get signed but as scientists working on soils of Goa we know forces and drivers from mining, tourism, industrialization, urbanization, housing sectors have finished any idea of saving or conserving any of the 25 soil types in Goa. People, common citizens dont even care for their garden soils in this wealthy state.
Therefore definitely as far as the spiritual dimension of soils aptly advocated by Sadhguru Jagdish Vasudev goes there needs to be a real mass movement and mass participation for soil conservation. Perhaps then government will be forced to do something.
And our politicians, economists, geographers, town planners, architects, engineers have not told you HOW LITTLE LAND IS LEFT for any future development without litigations. Check the following calculations and revise or improve the same if you want.
Total geographical area of Goa including waterbodies and Anjediv island= 370100 hectares (ha.)
Total land mass of Goa as per dept. of planning:-(http://goadpse.gov.in/publications/dpse-goa-stathandbook0304-0405.pdf)
361, 113 ha.
Deduct 700 ha of Island of Anjediv, surrendered to Indian Navy,
you have 360413 ha. left
Remove land under government forests- most reliable figure is 125473 ha. -this can not be diverted
Now you have 234940 ha. left
Remove 21, 000 ha of estuarine and Khazan lands excluding mangroves, these are CRZ areas
Now you are left with 2,13,940 ha. land
Exclude real mangrove belts like Chorao:- Dr. Jagtap. NIO's Mangrove expert estimate:-4000 ha.
Now you have 2,09, 400 ha.
Remove land under CRZ with esp. CRZ-I developmental controls esp. beaches, sand dunes:- these are 4400 ha.
You have 2,05,400 ha. Left
Remove net area sown (land under permanent agriculture) (excluding khazan farm lands included above)
The net area sown is 130,000 ha. (double crop area is about 35,000 ha. in irrigated talukas, but can't consider here)
Now you are left with just 75,400 ha.
From which exclude area under existing industrial estates=6000 ha.
Now you have 69,400 ha.
Exclude land occupied by Navy, Army etc.:- about 1,200 ha.
You have 68,200 ha.
Exclude developed and settled land under existing towns, housing, townships, civilian settlements:- about 25,000 ha.(may be upwards)
You have 43,200 ha. left
Exclude pastures, land under tree crops, groves (e.g. social forestry patch at Saligao etc.) as identified by DPSE:-2000 ha.
You have 41, 200 ha.
As per DPSE figures 37137 ha. is land not available for cultivation ( this may include mining region, dumps, wasteland etc.)
So finally all the surface development for which TCP exists if it is not going to take place without sacrificing existing paddy fields, forests, crz areas, orchards, groves etc. has to be compressed or squeezed within say 41, 000 ha.
And what soil conservation then we are taking about?
