Why are you bothered about the Taleigao fields? They are a mess. Look at this one particular spot in Caranzalem it has stagnant water. It should be simply filled up with mud or debris and a good project should come up. Also look at the St Inez Creek. It’s a stinking nalla, isn’t it? It has sewage, garbage and all kinds of medical waste too floating in its turbid waters. Shouldn’t it be simply boxed up and let the obnoxious mess flow out to sea, unseen by us? As far as the planners go or even local bodies and its representatives, yes this seems to be the general sentiment and approach. Just like our approach to pillaging mines, littering our pristine landscape, rivers and cutting trees to make way for modern infrastructure to ease our ‘at the press of the button’ way of living.
With these questions fielded at us, we delved into studying the ODP of Taleigao now called ODP of Greater Panjim! Over the years by simply looking at the landuse, the Taleigao ODP of 2004, 2006, landuse plan of 2018 and now the Greater Panjim ODP of 2028, what is clear is the drastic concretisation of land from agricultural use to settlement and settlement use to commercial.
This current ODP too shows this isolated and fragmented land use allocation from agricultural to settlement and a bulk of it from settlement to commercial. There are also institutional land use designated to plots of lands that were and are fields in this agricultural landscape. A new Panchayat Ghar here, a parking lot there, an indoor stadium too and pumping station. What is stark is the number of new 10 meter wide roads proposed on the periphery of fields and many cutting across the agrarian lands! It is very critical to note that the large chunk of landuse change from settlement to commercial includes the St Michael’s School! The commercial landuse allocation is with FAR of 200, 250 and 300!
So we all ask, who prepares these plans? And if planners, architects are doing this, what is the role of the citizens? When the provisions are there for public participation and inclusive planning, why are the fields and the farmers at the mercy of the planning authority that is not recognizing the value and need of these fields in peri urban areas as water tight infracture that already exist when we consider climate change, climate resilience and disaster management?
The fields of Taleigao have a huge cultural significance in Goa’s history. When the Portuguese were attempting to capture Old Goa, after being heavily injured in the first attempt, the Portuguese fleet is said to have retreated to Taleigao village where they were welcomed, allowed to rest and fed by the locals. It was known as the granary of Ilhas. The Konsanchem fest or the harvest feast is celebrated in Taleigao where again the first sheaves of corn are offered to Goa at the church altar on the feast day, 21st of August every year.
Why is all this important? Taleigao’s fields are it’s assets. The rich agrarian lands provide food for its populace during the rains and an abundance of local vegetables in the non monsoon months. The Taleigao fields are also a part of the man made Khazaan lands system, where these silt rich flood plains on the banks of the Mandovi river and the St inez Creek were made into shallow troughs, lands for cultivating paddy and fishing by building bunds/dykes. This system also helped to channelize the rain water that flowed down the Nagalli hill across the network of fields and into the St Inez Creek at Camarabhat. There are a wealth of vegetable species that are grown in the fields of Taleigao - brinjals, red amaranth, cucumber, sweet potatoes, lady fingers, alsande.
While the urban periphery and its people derive a number of benefits from these rich rice fields like food security, clean air, water recharge, water filtration, carbon sequestering and flood management including vantage views of the verdant and colourful fields from the high rise buildings, the new urban towers with its residents give back only waste, litter, sewage and a complete disregard to the value the fields offer. If fields are uncultivated, it is a reason for the planners possibly in cohorts with developers or the other way around to convert these waste lands into concrete structures. But waste lands are not useless. They have an ecological role because even what we consider as fallow land or wasteland it has a living ecosystem with its own unique biodiversity. It is from these ecosystems that we derive our benefits for immunity, resilience and longevity. Another point to note is also the critical aspect of climate change and disaster. If we keep filling up low lying fields that provide us food and aid percolation and drainage, where will the rain water during the wettest months go? When the sea level rises, where will we migrate to if we do not conserve and protect these age old climate resilient systems?
Who do you think you are to save the Taleigao fields? Who are these dirty looking kids that accompany you in these initiatives? Why are these environmentalists standing in a silent protest next to the fields?
We are the villagers and friends of Taleigaonkars and Taleigao. We love our land. We love our fields. We work, walk and talk about our passion for our motherland and the future that all our children will inherit. Our vision is long term for sustainable development where the fields of Taleigao are protected as an inherent part of its sustainable growth, of sensible development. We love Taleigao. I love Taleigao. Join us.
(Tallulah D'Silva is an architect and features in the Top 20 Golden Door Awards 2020 shortlist of international writers and agents of truth and integrity.)