When will Vasco’s Maimollem Lake be clean again, demands activist Ularico Rodrigues?

VASCO, GOA: Once a picturesque green locale in the 1980s, Maimollem Lake, located at the heart of the Mangor, New Vaddem/Shantinagar valley is now an environmental nightmare. It is full is pollutants, sewage water, dangerous chemicals, micro plastics and other thrash that will make you throw up.

According to news reports, the lake used to be quite clean and people could even drink the water untill 1983-84. “With the mushrooming and rapid rise of illegal shanties and slums at Mangoor Hill, Shantinagar and New Vaddem, the untreated sewage released into gutters and storm water drains connected to the lake the degradation began. Eventually, the quality of the lake water began to decline drastically and with the growth of the local slum population, the pollution levels reached a stage where even animals fear to drink the water, which is not even suitable for washing or cleaning. Contact with the skin can give you a bad rash or even worse. Today after 30 years it is a pool of garbage and stinking sewage,” says local activist Ularico Rodrigues.

“While the Maimollem lake recieved a Central grant of Rs 1 crore in the first phase for its revival under the ‘Amrut Sarovar Abhiyan’ programme last year, hardly anything seems to have been done or changed. It’s over a year now and waste water, sewage, garbage and plastic waste is still flowing into the lake unhindered,” Ularico lamented.

The Mormugao Municipal Council (MMC) had begun the exercise of de-weeding and removing water hyacinth and other weeds and plants in the lake last year, with talk that the tourism department wanted to develop the lake into a tourist spot. But a lot still remains to be done. Arresting the seepage and flow of untreated waste and pollutants is the need of the hour and all attempts to otherwise revive and rejuvanate the lake are of no consequence, Ularico who is a Lions Club members explains.

In April-May last year, there was some activity and steps were taken to clean up the Maimollem Lake, but it is now back to its old, ruined state again, with sewage and pollutants flowing into the lake basin. Starting from 2003 till date, several attempts were made to clean up the lake, but to no awail. Huge sums have already been spent, but except for cosmetic touches, not much changes over time, Ularico claims, adding that a foul stench emanates due to the presence of sewage, rotting animal and human feaces and other matter in the lake. There is an increase in vector borne diseases in the area surrounding the lake with diseases like Malaria and dengue on the rise in the locality.