The Dual Crisis of Civic Neglect, Safety in Schools and Sustainability in Goa

The Dual Crisis of Civic Neglect, Safety in Schools and Sustainability in Goa

The recent publication of letters from concerned citizens in a national newspaper serves as a powerful, grassroots-driven alarm bell for two interrelated crises plaguing contemporary India: the erosion of safety and ethics in educational spaces, and the reckless consumption of natural resources in the name of development. On one hand, Ronnie D’Souza of Chandor writes of a violent assault in a Goa school toilet, highlighting a breakdown in student discipline and safety. On the other, Adelmo Fernandes of Vasco sounds a dire warning about Goa’s escalating water scarcity, exacerbated by unregulated swimming pools in luxury housing projects. Separated by a few column inches, these letters are, in fact, chapters of the same story—a story of civic apathy, failed regulation, and the dangerous gap between India’s aspirational self-image and its on-ground realities. This article will expand upon these critical issues, exploring their roots, their interconnectedness, and the urgent, holistic solutions required.

Part I: The Temple Violated – School Safety and the Crisis of Youth Conduct

Ronnie D’Souza’s letter begins with a jarring sentence: “It is shocking and deeply disturbing to learn that four students assaulted a fellow student inside a school toilet in Goa.” This single incident is a microcosm of a far larger, national problem of bullying, gang culture, and violence seeping into schools, institutions traditionally revered as “temples of learning.”

Beyond an Isolated Incident: A Systemic Failure
The assault in a toilet—a space often less monitored—points to a calculated act of brutality, not a mere childish scrap. D’Souza correctly labels it “gang violence and hooliganism.” His connection of this behavior to an “increasing number of students from outside the State” introduces a complex socio-cultural dimension. Goa, with its unique identity and relatively high quality of life, attracts migration for education and economic opportunities. This influx, while economically beneficial, can create friction. D’Souza alleges that “some outsiders are reportedly involved in intimidating local Goan students and damaging school property.”

This accusation requires careful dissection. It is crucial to avoid xenophobic generalizations; problematic behavior is not inherent to any group. However, rapid demographic changes without adequate social integration mechanisms can lead to tensions. New students might struggle with assimilation, leading to the formation of insular groups that can resort to aggression to assert dominance. Conversely, local students might display hostility, creating a vicious cycle. The core issue is the school administration’s preparedness—or lack thereof—to manage this evolving dynamic. Are there orientation programs, counseling services, and clear, consistently enforced codes of conduct that bridge cultural divides and foster mutual respect?

The Tripartite Accountability: School, Parents, and State
D’Souza’s plea is directed at a triad: school authorities, parents, and the government. Each has faltered.

• School Authorities: Often, schools prioritize academic results and reputation management over holistic student welfare. Councillors are overburdened or absent. Surveillance and supervision in unstructured zones like corridors, cafeterias, and toilets are inadequate. Most damningly, there is a tendency to downplay incidents of bullying and violence to avoid scandal, allowing perpetrators to act with impunity and victims to suffer in silence.

• Parents: Parental responsibility has shifted in troubling ways. Some are disengaged, leaving upbringing to schools and digital devices. Others are hyper-competitive, indirectly endorsing a “might is right” mentality. In cases involving migrants, parents might be preoccupied with economic survival, lacking the time or cultural context to guide their children through new social landscapes.

• The Government: Education policy remains overwhelmingly focused on infrastructural inputs and standardized testing. Mandatory frameworks for psychosocial safety, mandatory counselor-to-student ratios, and robust protocols for reporting and addressing violence are weakly implemented. The Right to Education Act’s promise of a “safe and stress-free” environment remains largely on paper.

The consequence is the poisoning of the learning environment. A student who fears for their safety cannot learn. The “overall development of future generations” that D’Souza mentions is crippled at its foundation when schools fail to be sanctuaries of security and respect.

Part II: Draining the Future – Water Scarcity and the Illusion of Luxury

If the school crisis is about the erosion of social fabric, Adelmo Fernandes’s letter addresses the erosion of an even more fundamental resource: water. His argument is a masterclass in connecting dots between lifestyle choices, unregulated development, and ecological catastrophe.

The Anatomy of a Water Crisis
Goa’s identity is intertwined with water—its rivers, beaches, and monsoons. Yet, as Fernandes notes, it now faces “a new challenge of water scarcity.” The primary drivers are well-known: tourism and urbanization. However, he zeroes in on a potent symbol of unsustainable luxury: the proliferation of swimming pools in housing projects.

Each swimming pool is a massive sink of water. Filled initially with tens of thousands of liters, they lose thousands more monthly to evaporation, backwashing, and splash-out. This “constant replenishment,” as Fernandes notes, typically comes from groundwater extracted via borewells or from municipal supplies that are themselves strained. This creates a direct and tragic paradox: as luxury complexes brim with water for recreation, “villagers are finding it increasingly difficult to access clean drinking water and some villages are forced to rely on water-tanker supplies.”

The Failure of Regulation and the Borewell Curse
Fernandes makes a critical legal point: “Goa has a strict policy on groundwater use regulated under the Goa Ground Water Regulation Act, 2002.” The entire state is a notified regulated area, meaning extraction requires permission. Yet, he implies this law exists more in theory than in practice. “Bore wells are being dug with little regard for the environment,” he states. This speaks to a colossal enforcement failure. The nexus between real estate developers and local authorities, coupled with bureaucratic inertia, often renders such acts toothless.

The environmental impact is multidimensional. Over-extraction lowers water tables, causing existing wells to dry up. It can lead to saltwater intrusion in coastal areas like Goa, permanently contaminating freshwater aquifers. The energy cost of pumping water from ever-deeper levels adds to the carbon footprint.

The Path to Solution: Recycling, Harvesting, and Policy
Fernandes doesn’t just diagnose; he prescribes. His solutions are technically sound and ethically imperative:

1. Mandatory Water Recycling Systems for Pools: Modern filtration and treatment systems (like ozone or UV treatment) allow pool water to be reused for long periods, drastically reducing the need for fresh top-up water. Treated water can also be used for landscaping.

2. Mandatory Rainwater Harvesting (RWH): In a state with abundant monsoon rain, it is a travesty not to mandate RWH for all large projects. Rooftop runoff can be channeled to recharge groundwater or fill storage tanks, offsetting a significant portion of a complex’s water demand.

3. A Specific Swimming Pool Policy: A generic groundwater act is insufficient. Fernandes calls for a dedicated policy governing swimming pool construction. This should mandate the above systems, set benchmarks for water efficiency, and link approval to a demonstrable, neutral water footprint for the project.

The swimming pool, thus, transforms from a mere amenity to a litmus test for Goa’s commitment to sustainable development. Will it choose short-term real estate profits or long-term water security for all its citizens?

Part III: The Common Thread – Civic Sense and the “Vishwaguru” Paradox

The unfinished third letter about garbage at Sajjangadh Fort provides the unifying theme: a profound deficit in civic sense. The writer’s lament—“We Indians display little civic sense, yet we have anointed ourselves as Vishwaguru”—echoes painfully across the other two letters.

The assault in the school toilet is a violent manifestation of a lack of civic sense—a failure to respect the bodily integrity and right to safety of a fellow citizen. The garbage on the fort slopes and the reckless draining of groundwater are slower, more insidious forms of the same disease: a disregard for the shared commons, be it a historic site or an aquifer. It is a mindset that prioritizes individual convenience or gratification over collective well-being and long-term sustainability.

The “Vishwaguru” (world teacher) aspiration rings hollow when our temples of learning are unsafe, our natural heritage is plundered, and our sacred sites are littered with trash. What we have is a crisis of governance and personal responsibility. Laws exist (the Goa Groundwater Act, school safety guidelines, anti-littering rules), but they are flouted with impunity due to weak enforcement and a social culture that often rewards rule-breaking.

The Way Forward: An Integrated Approach

Solving these crises requires moving beyond siloed thinking. The solutions are interconnected:

1. Education for Citizenship, Not Just Careers: The school curriculum must be overhauled to instill ecological literacy and civic ethics from a young age. Students should learn about local water systems, the true cost of resources, and conflict resolution. This creates future citizens who value both their social and natural environment.

2. Holistic Urban and Education Planning: Town planning must be ecologically mandated. No housing project should be approved without a sustainable water management plan. Simultaneously, school zoning and development must include mandatory safety audits and integration programs for diverse student populations.

3. Transparent and Accountable Governance: The government must demonstrate political will. This means empowering and mandating the Goa Water Resources Department to clamp down on illegal borewells. It means making the State Education Department enforce safety protocols and publish data on incidents in schools. It means holding officials accountable for lapses.

4. Community-Led Stewardship: Parents’ Associations, Resident Welfare Associations (RWAs), and local NGOs must become active watchdogs. They can monitor school environments, audit local water usage, and organize clean-up drives, creating a culture of collective ownership.

The letters from Ronnie D’Souza and Adelmo Fernandes are not mere complaints; they are calls to action from the front lines of India’s civic struggle. They remind us that safety and sustainability are two sides of the same coin—the coin of a civilized, forward-looking society. Addressing the violence in our schools and the depletion of our water is not just about fixing isolated problems; it is about redefining what it means to be a citizen in 21st-century India. It is about building a nation where every child is safe in a school toilet, every village has drinking water, and every fort slope is clean—not because a law demands it, but because a truly awakened civic conscience wills it. Until then, the title of Vishwaguru will remain a distant, ironic dream.

Q&A Section

Q1: Ronnie D’Souza’s letter links student misconduct to an influx of “outsiders.” Is this a fair assessment, or does it risk promoting bias?

A1: While D’Souza reports on local perceptions, attributing misconduct primarily to “outsiders” is reductive and risky. It unfairly stigmatizes a whole group and ignores universal adolescent behavior. The core issue is institutional preparedness. Rapid demographic change tests a school’s ability to integrate students, manage cultural friction, and enforce rules uniformly. The problem isn’t origin, but the lack of proactive programs for orientation, peer mediation, and inclusive community-building that prevent “us vs. them” dynamics. Focusing on labeling groups distracts from holding school administrations accountable for creating a safe, respectful environment for all students, regardless of background.

Q2: How effective can rainwater harvesting (RWH) truly be in offsetting the water demand of swimming pools, especially in large housing projects?

A2: Rainwater Harvesting, when designed at scale, can be remarkably effective. A large residential complex has extensive rooftop and paved surface area. In Goa, which receives around 3000 mm of annual rainfall, the harvestable potential is huge. For example, 1000 sq.m. of catchment can yield approximately 3 million liters of water in a year (1000 sq.m. x 3m rainfall = 3000 cubic meters). This harvested water can be used for initial filling, seasonal top-ups, and all landscaping needs, drastically reducing dependence on groundwater or municipal supply. When combined with water-recycling systems for the pool itself, a large project can achieve near water-neutrality for its recreational and horticultural needs, making it a non-negotiable technological solution.

Q3: The article mentions the Goa Ground Water Regulation Act (2002). Why does a strong law on paper fail to prevent the water crisis described by Adelmo Fernandes?

A3: The failure is a classic case of the implementation gap, common in many Indian governance challenges. Likely reasons include: 1) Weak Enforcement Capacity: The regulating department may be understaffed, underfunded, and lack technical tools to monitor thousands of potential borewells. 2) Corruption and Political Pressure: Powerful real estate developers may secure permits or bypass rules through influence. 3) Lack of Real-Time Data: Effective regulation requires accurate, updated data on groundwater levels and extraction rates, which is often lacking. 4) Fragmented Authority: Water management may be split between multiple agencies (groundwater, pollution control, municipalities), leading to passing the buck. The law becomes a deterrent only if violations are consistently detected and penalized, which requires political will and administrative overhaul.

Q4: The unfinished letter about garbage at Sajjangadh Fort speaks of a lack of “civic sense.” How is this connected to the issues in the schools and with water scarcity?

A4: “Civic sense” is the foundational ethic of caring for shared spaces and resources. Its absence is the common thread:

• In Schools: A violent assault is the ultimate violation of civic sense—a failure to respect the shared space of the school and the fundamental rights of a peer. It’s individualism turned toxic.

• In Water Scarcity: Digging illegal borewells or wasting water in a pool is a failure of civic and ecological sense. It prioritizes private luxury over the shared, vital resource of groundwater, stealing from the community’s future.

• At the Fort: Littering is a direct, visible sign of disrespect for a shared historical and spiritual commons.
  All three behaviors stem from a mindset that disregards the collective good. Cultivating civic sense through education, strict enforcement, and social shaming of such acts is the prerequisite for solving each of these problems.

Q5: What is one concrete, immediate step that a) a school principal in Goa and b) a local panchayat in a water-stressed village can take to address these crises?

A5:

• For a School Principal: Immediately institute a “Safe School Audit.” Form a committee including teachers, parents, and senior students to physically inspect all unsupervised areas (toilets, rear corridors, parking lots) and assess blind spots. Simultaneously, launch a confidential, anonymous reporting system (like a suggestion box or digital form) for students to report bullying or safety concerns. This demonstrates proactive leadership and gathers crucial data for action.

• For a Village Panchayat: Pass and aggressively publicize a mandatory rainwater harvesting by-law for every new building and a timeline for retrofitting existing public and large private buildings. More immediately, commission a participatory water mapping exercise with NGOs to identify and seal illegal borewells feeding commercial projects, and to document local water sources. This asserts community control over its resources and builds a factual basis for legal action against over-extractors.