Has Goa exceeded its carrying capacity?

Panaji: When the sand dune system is meddled with, the consequences can be drastic, former NIO scientist Antonio Mascarenhas said, citing the example of Candolim beach where the grounded River Princess resulted in erosion to the tune of 85m in 11 years due to sediment starvation.
He was participating in a panel discussion on the theme ‘Has Goa exceeded it's carrying capacity’, organised by the Matanhy Saldanha Memorial Foundation to mark the late environment and tourism minister's 68th birth anniversary on Monday.
“Show me one well in Caranzalem that has potable water,” Mascarenhas said, adding that the state’s groundwater along the coast has been criminally misused by large hotels that use heavy duty pumps to draw water. The carrying capacity here has been overshot, he said. Architect Milind Ramani said there needs to be more deliberation on the type of development that is desired for Goa.
Nandkumar Kamat stressed on the importance of micro planning and micro governance. He also asked people to reject the nationalisation of Goa’s waterways for the simple reason that Goa is a small state and because there was no acknowledgement of fisheries. Curchorem MLA Nilesh Cabral, on the other hand, said he was still not clear about what the nationalisation of waterways meant for Goa, adding that it was a vague subject.
S W A Naqvi, ex-director of NIO, chief guest at the function, spoke of his association with Saldanha and praised him for his efforts to protect Goa’s environment, saying Goa’s environment is still pristine compared to many other states. Oscar Rebello, a former student of the late Saldanha, said he strongly believed that crony capitalism needed to be defeated to protect Goa.
He urged Goans to stop fighting among themselves and unite to fight for clear air, water, honest governance and equal rights.
BJP state unit president Vinay Tendulkar was also present at the event and shared the dais with RDA minister and Saldanha’s wife Alina Saldanha, Rebello and Naqvi.