Garbage disposal, sewage and drinking water are burning issues in St Cruz: Arturo D’souza

PANAJI: Social activist Arturo D’souza from St Cruz, recognized and known for the Save Bondvol lake campaign, does not mince words when it comes to his constituency. According to him, garbage disposal, sewage and availability of drinking water are the main issues of concern in his constituency.

“Residents and villagers of St Cruz get tap water for only 2 hours daily. This is hardly enough for most households, as the water pressure is low and people have to depend on wells for water for washing, etc.,” laments D’souza, who is also worried about the local authorities not taking the garbage problem seriously.

“With the Panchayat failing to pick up dry garbage, villagers will resort to burning garbage and waste in their backyards, creating an air pollution issue in the village,” D’souza warns.

Arturo shot into prominence in Goa for his successful attempt to revive and clean up the Bondvol lake, a 110-year-old rain-fed natural reservoir that sits on a small hill, built during the Portuguese era, which was a source of water for the village of Santa Cruz. It was also rich in biodiversity, with flora and fauna, but years of neglect resulted in the lake almost drying up. The builder lobby was eying the property and were it not for the efforts of D’souza and the villagers of St Cruz, Bondvol lake would have completely vanished into history.

D’souza who receently joined the All India Trinamool Congress party is an avid kitchen and home gardener and spends his free time growing vegetables. “My purpose of joining a political party is to galvanize the people of my village and constituency into action, to save our wetlands and biodiversity and ensure that St Cruz does not become a concrete jungle,” says D’souza.

St Cruz, a predominantly Catholic constituency has always been a Congress bastion. However, Elections 2022 could possibly see a change or a “new dawn” as D’souza puts it.