With elections around the corner, politicians are falling over themselves trying to project their love and concern for the Aam Aadmi, following the Canacona floods. They have made the tragedy into a circus, writes Freddy Fernandes

The Canacona floods have been a huge tragedy and a nightmare, that most Canaconkars will remember for a long long time. With elections within a year’s time, our politicians have already started doing the “tango” to try and impress the Aam Aadmi. They have made the Canacona tragedy into a circus, trying to project their love and concern for the Aam Aadmi.

All the politicians have been falling over themselves to show that they are doing a lot for the affected people. Financial help has been promised, but when will it reach the affected people or will the affected people ever get it? In India whenever there are tragedies, a lot of money is poured out, but unfortunately very rarely are the victims the beneficiaries. The Centre has promised 5 crore Rupees, different bodies within the local administration have promised lakhs of rupees. It’s been more than ten days, has anyone received any compensation? The people, still stunned by the reversal of fortunes, await the promised goodies, it could be a long wait or even a never ending one.

I was very much amused that Goa's Science and Technology Minister, Churchill Alemao attributes the recent floods that ravaged the district of Cancona to a 'mini tsunami' in the Arabian Sea. Blame it on tsunami and no questions will be asked. What an intelligent minister we have, I am sure the scientists would have taken a lot of time and money to analyze the cause of this disaster but our astute minister knows it all, he should probably be given a Phd degree for his fascinating thesis. Who ever said, testosterone doesn't fuel wisdom? How fortunate are we all, to have forty of these testosterone pumped geniuses in our Vidhan Sabha.

Our elite politicians will do anything and everything to hide the truth. Infact, the main causes for flooding is obvious and right there for every one to see - hill cutting and deforestation, which has been rampant in Cancona. With less forest cover, soil erosion is more and this soil settles in the low lying areas blocking the path of natural flow, the land filling too has contributed in a big way to the water level rising. People of Canacona have raised this issue on numerous occasions, but nobody listened. All the major rivers of Canacona were waiting for a disaster to happen. The silt in these rivers had led to the narrowing of the rivers The authorities did not act, not did they care. With the rivers becoming narrow and shallow with the silt, water level had to rise and divert itself, taking whatever came in it’s path. Banks, bunds and nullahs burst and overrun, taking houses, plantations, animals and humans along with it. 

It was the presence of mind and the die hard attitude and bravery of the locals themselves, who risked their own lives to save themselves and others, which kept the human death toll down. Instead of accepting the facts and acknowledging our mistakes, we lay the blame else where, which is not a solution to our problem.

This disaster is most certainly only the beginning. The worst is yet to come. The sooner the people of Canacona and Goa realize it and take corrective action to negate it, the better it will be. Goans have to be thankful to mother nature for protecting us thus far and only hope and pray that we don’t see the worst of the fury of mother nature in Goa. 

Save the environment, save Goa.