Mumbai-Goa highway farms ravaged by construction debris, 200 acres lost

MUMBAI: Kasu village, near Pen along the Mumbai-Goa highway, is facing a severe agricultural crisis, as 200 acres of farmland have been contaminated during the highway’s construction. Local farmers said that the contamination had severely affected crop health and caused unprecedented skin diseases among those working on the land.
Bhagwan Jambhale, a local farmer who owns about 10 acres of land, expressed his shock at the situation. “This is the first time that we have faced such crop problems,” he said. “I was shocked when I saw blackish water in my farmland. It has ruined my entire rice crop this year.” Jambhale’s family, which has been farming in KharBurdi village in Kasu for six decades, typically harvests eight to ten tonnes of rice annually. “This year, we couldn’t get even a kilogramme of rice,” said Jambhale.
The contaminated water has also led to health problems, with farmers experiencing skin diseases for the first time. In response, they have lodged formal complaints with the government, seeking immediate intervention. “This year, I developed a skin disease while working in the fields,” said Jambhale, underlining the seriousness of the issue.
A local farmer revealed that the issues with the farmland began two years ago when highway construction resumed again after a gap and the highway ended up higher than it was earlier. Some farmlands experienced levelling problems, leading to waterlogging. Following instructions from the local contractor and company and government officials, the farmers levelled the land with soil provided by the companies, which was later found to contain chemical waste. Due to the poorly planned drainage system, this contaminated soil has since spread to other farmlands, covering 200 acres.
Harishchandra Sharamkar, another local farmer, pointed to the inadequate construction practices as the root cause of the contamination. “After the road work, the contractor failed to manage the drainage system properly or build a concrete wall between the service road and the farmland. As a result, waste water from nearby companies is seeping into our fields,” he said. Sharamkar also revealed that the contractor filled around 20 to 22 acres of farmland with debris from 15 to 20 companies. “During the monsoon, this contaminated soil entered our fields with the rainwater, affecting both the farmland and the health of farmers,” he said.
The contamination has affected around 120 families in the village. Gangabai Patil, who owns 3.5 acres of land, lamented that she had faced a 100% loss this year. “Farming is my only source of income,” she said. “I grow crops for my family and sell some to earn a living. This year has been very difficult.”
Local activist Chaitanya Patil, who has advocated for the Mumbai-Goa highway completion, has highlighted the issue and written to the government, urging it to conduct a survey with the farmers. “We have been filing complaints against the contractor for the poor quality of work, particularly the failure to construct proper drainage systems,” he said. “Now we are dealing with the consequences of this neglect. We are not against development but we want sustainable development that improves the livelihoods of farmers living near the highways.”
In a letter sent to the Pen magistrate, which was also marked to the President of India, the prime minister, the chief minister and the deputy chief minister, farmers have demanded the closure of illegal canals, removal of chemically contaminated soil and action against the companies responsible.
In response to the complaints, local agriculture officer Sagar Wadkar conducted a survey in July and submitted a report to the higher authorities. “The contamination in the fields is due to chemically laden soil entering the farmlands,” the report emphasised. It also noted that rice crops were burnt out due to the sand and chemicals that had seeped into the land. The officer has recommended a post-monsoon soil examination to the agriculture department and an assessment of the soil’s pollutants to the environment department.