MINING A THREAT TO GOA : MIKE PANDEY

"Tourists from across India and the world come to Goa to see its beaches and lush green mountains and to enjoy its soothing environment, but the alarming rate at which mining is going on in the state if it continues for a few more years at this pace it will pose a serious threat to Goa's natural beauty," renowned filmmaker and conservationist Mike Pandey said. Pandey, a three-time `Green Oscar' award winner, was chief guest at a special function organized by NGO ECHO-Goa in Panaji. He felicitated Parag Ranganekar, Nirmal Kulkarni, Sadguru Patil and Arnold Noronha for their contributions to the fields of wildlife and environment conservation. Pandey said man has become "greedy and self-centered". "We are plundering natural resources without thinking about the future. The man-elephant conflict has climaxed in various parts of India. Elephants from Dandeli are making inroads into Goa and Maharashtra as their natural habitat is threatened. The struggle for food and water has intensified and forced the mammoths to leave Dandeli," said the maker of the award-winning `The Vanishing Giants', a documentary that captured the plight of a captured elephant. Addressing the gathering, Pandey pointed out to the over 300 rivers which originate in the Western ghats including Goa's major lifelines, Mandovi and Zuari, and said that activities such as mining gradually destroy rivers and other water bodies through siltation and pollution. "Goa is blessed with a varied and rich biodiversity which needs discovering. There are certain species of flora and fauna which are found only in Goa. The horsehoe crab, found in abundance in Goa, has tremendous medicinal potential. Butterflies and honey bees are the most important insects which help in the process of pollination, with their existence threatened, crops are failing which in turn will be responsible for soaring food prices," said Pandey. Rise in sea level on account of global warming will create more complex problems in Goa, which is a coastal state, he added. "Goan youth have to come forward to protect and conserve the biological wealth of Goa," stressed Pandey.