July turns out to be wet saviour for Goa

The month of July 2009 has brought plenty of cheer to many stakeholders with their fortunes dictated fully or partly by the rains in Goa. In over the last 11 days Goa has witnessed heavy to very heavy rainfall which was received with a welcome lap by most Goans although the heavy downpour did contribute to flooding in some city areas and damaged houses and establishments in certain areas of Goa. However much of that blame has to go to the irresponsible sense of development that has been heaped on Goans by various vested lobbies than the contribution of the blessed rains.

Astonishingly, the rains in the last 11 days have helped to wipe out the deficit of around 15% experienced in last months tally while also producing a surplus of around 25%. In June this year, the seasonal rainfall had been measured at 74 cm as compared to the average of 89 cm for that month.

However the bountiful pouring in the last two weeks have helped the seasonal total to reach 156 cm or 61 inches of rainfall in Goa. So while over 30 days of June provided only 74 cm of rainfall, the last 11 days of July have helped produce over 82 cm of rainfall thereby adding to the obvious cheer.

The total seasonal rainfall that Goa receives is at an average of 262 cm (around 104 inches) which is considered as normal for Goa. With over two months of the monsoon season still to come, there is a widespread positive feeling among meteorologists in Goa that this year would therefore be a normal year of rainfall in Goa.

The month of June 2009 was a shade drier than that in last year which witnessed 78 cm of rainfall compared to 74 cm this year and over 107 cm in 2007. However it was the year 1991 when Goa witnessed the lowest rain turnout in the month of June which was a measly 45 cm while the highest recorded rainfall for Goa in June was observed in June 1999 at a staggering 158 cm of rainfall.

Goa renews fight against malaria and chikungunya

Come the monsoons and Goa gears up to renew its fight against malaria and other monsoon related ailments such as Chikungunya, Dengue, Gastroenteritis, Jaundice, Conjunctivitis and Leptospirosis which are all known to flare up with the onset of monsoons in Goa. The state's capital Panjim, witnessed over 55 victims of malaria last week with 44 of them infected with the Vivax strain while 10 had the falciparum strain. In June alone, Goa has already had over 491 cases of malaria out of which 109 victims had the deadly falciparum infection.

Areas infested with construction activity in the monsoons are known to be the hotbeds of the disease spread and in the monsoons its spread is faster owing to its breeding in collected water which is mostly prone in construction areas which is full of labour employees who themselves hail from poorly sanitised residences. With the completion of the construction activity cases of malaria are known to decline and in many cases completely disappear.

Health authorities in Goa therefore blame the construction sites to be the areas responsible for the spread of malaria due to the migrant labour spreading the disease among the locals.The detected cases of malaria have nearly doubled from 5000 in 2006 to 9822 in 2008.

According tot he health ministry in Goa over 20,000 WHO approved readymade mosquito nets are expected to be purchased and distributed to migrant labourers at various construction sites in areas such as Candolim and Caranzalem .

Tourists arriving in Goa are normally wary of the malaria infection and therefore take preventive measures toward off the disease by taking medication such as MALARONE which is an anti-malaria preventive treatment. To buy MALARONE online click here.

Farmers in Rawanfond Goa, to fight for their land

Farmers  in Rawanfond in south Goa are in an agitation mode and are in no  mood to listen to the government who has acquired their land to rehabilitate displaced traders by displacing the farmers from their traditional paddy fields which many of them claim, are their sole means of earning their daily bread. In a meeting held  in the fields opp. KRC station, Margao to protest the illegal acquisition of fields and creation of a new slum area by the Govt. of Goa the farmers under the banner of "Navelchea Xetkariancho Ekvott" supported by Navelim Civic & Consumer Forum (NCCF) vowed to get their land back from the government and threatened to come to the streets to achieve the objective

The farmers along with the residents of Aquem-Baixo, Nalanda Apartments, Ravanfond & Davorlim assembled in large numbers to protest the forcible and illegal acquisition of lush green paddy fields and putting up slums in the area. People gathered and shouted slogans such as "Amchim Xettam amka zai" "Zopodpottio amkam naka", etc.( meaning " we want our farmland" " "we do not want slums")

President of N X E Mr. Dyneshwar Pednekar who is also a farmer and a professor of Law, described the fraud played by the Government to rob their fields. He requested the Government not to foist another "Nandigram" in Goa, as the farmers are determined, come what may to defend their rights of the fields.

Another farmer Natali Dias complained of Police harassment while cultivating the fields calling them encroachers in their own land. How can Govt. claim to have acquired the land when we have not received any compensation nor any notices? she asked. However the district collector  maintained that the award of compensation was completed way back, around eight years ago.

Cladais Dias another farmer told that they will continue their agitation and asserted that if the Govt. ignores their voice from here, then they would be forced to march to the Chief Ministers' residence, PWD Minister's residence, to the Collector's Office, and even to the Secretariat in Porvorim. Even a hunger strike is being contemplated to revert the acquisition.

Joseph Vaz of the Navelim civic and consumer Forum (NCCF) lamented that while all the fields belong to the Goan farmers, it being their main source of income, he questioned the need to acquire these fields for the sake of non-Goan shop owners/hutments to be rehabilitated in an area which would deprive Goan farmers of their sole means of earning.

Joseph Vaz secretary of NCCF, told the people that this Land Acquisition act of 1890 was used by the British to harass the Indian people then, but now this Government is using it to harass the aam aadmi. Where is our democracy? he lamented.

The NCCF also feared that the whole area would turn into another slum with hutments all over the area thus resembling another shambolic picture of the Moti Dongor slum and also felt the alarm of the present Moti Dongor residents being re-located in this area, thus making the village of Navelim into another slum infested area.

Goa meet reveals facts on frogs and toads

Goa and Goans made sure that the international day of the frog was celebrated at Porvorim with interactive sessions, presentations and quiz as part of WildGoa's 'Save Our Frogs" campaign.

"Amphibians of Goa" being the theme, a photo exhibition was held in the display area of the eco-store "Earth Worm" to create awareness of the diversity of amphibian species that have been documented in Goa so far.

There was also a visitors area at the exhibition space dedicated to visitors views and suggestions on the "save our Frogs" campaign. Mr Nirmal Kulkarni also gave a powerpoint presentation and talk focussing on the topic "Amphibian Diversity of Goa" where he highlighted the key species that were threatened in Goa due to illegal hunting and trade as well as due to the loss of habitat.

The interactive session saw an attendance of students, wildlife enthusiasts and media persons who also participated in various issues related to amphibian conservation and biology. During the breaks visitors spoke intensely about various issues including garbage management, habitat destruction in the Pilerne lake area and the role of the forest department in the 'Save Our Frogs" campaign.

A quiz on amphibians was later conducted and many unknown facts about frogs and toads were revealed through this medium.

Project Frog, gaining momentum in Goa

The Goan pitch to save frogs from the taste-buds of poachers in Goa seems to be gaining momentum by the day with the forest department endeavouring to spread the message of the ills caused due to frog reduction in Goa

Experts are out explaining about the numerous bio-indicators which prove that frogs which are a major part of Goan bio-diversity are facing an imminent threat to their very existence. The alarm is caused due to the dramatic drop in the frog population in the state owing to the lusty eyes of frog poachers who are being blamed for the current fall in their numbers.

Although there are no numbers to support the claim of the declines, experts opine that there are enough bio-indicators to point towards the fact that there is a threat to this species in Goa.

The bio-indicators are increase in malaria cases in Goa, increase in snakes venturing into human inhabitation in search of food. Frogs are considered to play a major role in the control of insects such as mosquitoes which are known to spread malaria and other crop damaging insects.

Wild Goa, a network of wildlife lovers in Goa are therefore currently working with the forest department that has launched a 'save frogs from extinction" campaign. WildGoa explains that the catching of frogs before thy mate not only kills the frog but also kills an entire generation of unborn tadpoles. The irony is that frog-poachers normally hunt for the big frogs who are the ones most likely to spawn the most number of eggs.

The Goa civic and consumer action network (GOACAN) has also lent its might to the campaign to save frogs and said that they would reach out to the people through the gram panchayats to spread the awareness and so co-ordinate with the police and the forest department to enforce the law.

The forest department has also resorted to spreading the message through the medium of spirituality as a means of stopping people from killing frogs. In this medium, the forest department has published colourful leaflets which sate" Frogs are believed to be incarnation of Goddess laxmi and are known to bring prosperity and rains. besides Monsoons is mating, breeding, multiplying, feeding, recruitment season for many species of frogs. It is during this time they become the victim of their biggest predator - man.

The awareness programme also states that consumption of frogs over a period of time could trigger paralytic strokes, cancers, kidney failures and other deformities. The educative information highlights the positive role played by frogs in preventing vector borne diseases and their killing is considered to be an ecological crime against the food chain

Experts urge Goans to stay away from Frog meat

The Indian Bullfrog as well as the Jerdon Bullfrog are reported to be facing the threat of extinction and the continued fancy for frog meat among many Goans could prove to be detrimental to our ecological concerns according to experts who have raised the alarm bells against the poaching for frogs in Goa

Frogs are a distinct part of the ecological balance of the environment and their reduction or extinction would have serious consequences. If there are no frogs, or fewer frogs in Goa, it could lead to a rise in vector borne diseases as there would be a surge of insects since there would be no frogs to eat them. Also the threat of snakes intruding into human establishments in search of food is another reality in the face, as the main food for snakes is frogs and their reduction through human poaching, could cause the unnecessary imbalance in Goa.

Excessive harvesting of frogs upsets the ecological balance and increases the need for insecticide to protect crops, thereby increasing both pollution and costs of agricultural produce. Also the amount of chemical fertilisers and pesticides in use in agriculture also contributes to the decimation of a huge population of frogs in the state of Goa.

The forest department along with "wild Goa" is expected to tighten the enforcement regulations regarding the poaching of frogs in the state in the coming season and defaulters can expect the worst nightmare if caught while poaching for their jumping chicken.

The authorities in Goa have also decided to create a mass awareness by involving people from all walks of life to participate in the drive. This includes students being involved in organising contests, quiz competitions, screening of short educative films besides street theatre.

The authorities in Goa have also identified the favourite spots for frog hunting in the state and the list is being circulated among forest and police officials to enable better co-ordination in the clampdown on offenders. There is also a proposal to spread awareness through the Church to spread the message to the faithful to abstain from poaching or eating frog meat. Village gram sabha meetings are also considered to be another avenue of creating mass awareness in the villages of Goa

Goa forest dept jumps high to rescue jumping chicken

Jumping Chicken, the pet name given to frogs by frog-eaters in Goa, which has been a traditional delicacy for a section of people in Goa with the advent of the monsoons, is on the most powerful and vigilant radar of law makers this year thanks to the state forest department which has decided to start a " save frog" campaign in Goa

So on the jumping list will not only be frog catchers, but also restaurants in Goa who have been traditionally known to serve frog meat and the list of such erring restaurants is currently being compiled by the department in a bid to evince the co-operation of such eateries while urging them to stop the practice of servicing the "jumping chicken"

Education and the spread of awareness of the threat to the existence of frogs and thereby the ills effected to the ecosystem in Goa would be a part of the campaign initiated by the forest department.

The punishment includes a fine of Rs 25,000 and upto three years imprisonment. patrolling teams for the monsoon season are being worked out to patrol for offenders in most frog-prone areas known for abuse by frog catchers. Wild Goa, a network of wildlife enthusiasts are expected to assist the forest department in the whole campaign.