Goa NGO to launch campaign to protect state's water bodies

City-based NGO 'Goa For Giving Trust' today announced a seven-week campaign starting from tomorrow to nurture, care and protect the water bodies of the the coastal state.
"The Goan beaches, rivers like the Mandovi, creeks and ponds have begun to slowly deteriorate, and their biodiversity has been largely affected due to negligence of the authorities and our society," Armando Gonsaves, convener of the NGO, said.
"Karnataka is illegally threatening to go ahead with the diversion of the water of River Mhadei, thus threatening to affect the flow of the river in Goa," he said.
Environmentalist Claud Alvares said off-shore casino vessels on Mandvi was one of the issues. Authorities were admitting that the creeks were turning into nullahs, he said.

Heritage activist Prajal Sakhardande said, "Your tap water comes from Mhadei. The Karnataka Government is constructing seven hydroelectric dams to divert water to provide potable water to Dharvad and Hubli.
"We will be celebrating World Water Day tomorrow to send a signal that the whole of Goa is taking cognisance of this unitedly and we want to save the waters of Mhadei," he said.

(REOPENS MDS 9)
The report says for a poor person in the developing
world with no access to safe water at home, buying the recommended 50 litres a day can be a huge drain on their meager salary.

"Many people have no choice but to compromise their health and dignity by using much less or collecting water from unsafe sources," it says.
Noting that the World Health Organization specifies 50 litres per person per day as the recommended 'intermediate' quantity needed to maintain health, hygiene and for all domestic uses, the report says, diarrhoeal diseases caused by unsafe water and poor sanitation are world's second biggest child killer - taking 315,000 children's lives every year.
"Fifty per cent of child malnutrition is associated with unsafe water, inadequate sanitation and poor hygiene, placing a huge burden on fragile healthcare systems.

Businesses' productivity is hit hard by staff absenteeism, turnover and low morale related to lack of access to clean, safe water in workplaces," it says.
The report says the more than 650 million of the world's poorest people are living without access to an 'improved' source of drinking water.
"The price paid by these communities- in wasted income, ill-health, and lost productivity - is extremely high, and has a devastating impact from the family to the national level," it adds.