Implementing Sustainable Development Goals in Fragile Goa

“The principle of common but differentiated responsibilities is the bedrock of our enterprise for a sustainable world.” -Shri. Narendra Modi (Prime Minister of India) As a Prime Minister of 1/6th of the world’s population, Shri Narendra Modi, after taking responsibility for our country, traveling and meeting powerful personalities around the world, has realized that the concept of eradicating poverty, hunger, empowering women, fighting bad climate, etc. has to be differentiated and studied among the various states of India in order to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

Pondering insubstantially of the smallest state of India, Goa, to give importance to the SDGs? How are these topics beneficial to us? Should this be our priority? Well, Goa is a beautiful and fragile state that is vulnerable in respect of its biodiversity and in terms of its floating tourist population.

The state of Goa is in constant battle with the tourists who are looking forward to the time they are spending in Goa, and others are citizens of the state who call themselves “susegad” as they are satisfied yet not happy with how the state is undergoing unnatural changes. Sustainable development comes here into the picture as this meets the needs of the present without compromising the needs of future generations to meet their own needs. With a population of 1.459 million residents (census 2011) and with a growth rate of 8.23% per decade, the state of Goa is breaking down and has overburdened its resources and environment.

It’s not always the government that should be blamed for the menace, but we, the citizens, should coordinate and develop strong willpower to stay away from corruption and money and not sell ourselves out for short-term benefits. As it is said, ‘It takes two to make a quarrel’ We, the Goan, need to question ourselves whether we need majestic hotels on the seashore, roads through our forests, pollution industries, concrete structures on fertile land, million tonnes of ores or the greenery and serenity that Goa is known for.

Is the fault a tourist’s destination? No, we are the privileged ones, but the fact that the state of Goa is trying to create room for 3 million tourists is. All this when we have not planned for our own population! All zones of development are today disputing for the same land with flora and fauna that needs to be conserved. Our focus is on mining iron in our Western Ghats, which have unique species that need to be protected. Illegal constructional licenses, the release of sewage in water resources, construction permits in Coastal Regulatory Zones (CRZ) areas, deforestation, etc. Goa must therefore face up to the challenges that lie ahead in implementing the SDGs by 2030 because it cannot wish away old and newer areas of concern.

More than 80% of Goa’s geographical land has been declared as eco-sensitive in the regional plan 2021. Mining has the biggest damaging impact as it involves cutting off hills and slopes to later expand into pits. Pumping out of water has lowered the water table in the area, the dumps of rejected waste are often close to the rivers, and silt enters the fields and water bodies. As a tourist destination, the state has triggered a frenzy of construction activities to cater needs of outsiders. The coastline is under threat, and the generation of garbage and sewage has added to the misery. Sand extraction has ripped off the layers for breeding for fish in North Goa. Riverbanks, along with coconut trees, has collapsed. Landscapes at western ghats are an alarming threat that we are aware of but yet neglecting because we are caught up in and more of fast development that we don’t find any solution rather than burning lands, trimming forests, and dumping riverbanks.

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