Khodpentli Manas
The region near the Old Goa jetty has the Khodpentli Manas (local name for the sluice gate) which manages the high and low tides of the Mandovi river. This area is known as Khazan lands in general which has high number mangroves and increasing cluster of houses as we move towards the Divar center. Fishing and cultivation is practiced by the localities over here. The change in landscape over the years has resulted in shifts in economy and swapping the migration patterns of biological beings.This drawing depicts the transformation of the Gotlim khazans' terrain, using the current road (formerly a laterite bund wall) as our spine, from an agro-based area to a swampy one, as well as the growth of diverse vegetation due to the changing landscape.This study furthermore looks at changes in changes in terrain and its effects on agrarian practices, shifts in economy, fishing and its networks and variations in migration of birds.
Shifting landscape and economy
Changing landscapes of the island has shaped economies and thus the way people live. The houses here have gardens with different fruit and vegetable plantations that help them sustain which is a common practice seen in almost all households. These gardens are conjectured to be self-sustaining and for own consumption as it is inconvenient for a person to take a ferry and travel to other parts to buy fruits and vegetables.
Agriculture is one of the primary sources of the economy. Paddy agriculture is crucial because it happens only three months a year as it requires rain water. But the practice of agriculture is also steadily dwindling because of the increasing salinity of the soil due to floods and rampant growth of the mangroves. The rapid growth of mangroves is invasive and is making the soil uncultivable.
Activities like fishing happen throughout the year. The residents bid for spots to catch their fish which is made available to them on a contract of two years. Only those who have their piece of land in the island are allowed to bid.The island also has various restaurants which are dependent on the produce of the island.
There was a proposal of a bridge connecting the divar island and Panjim. If this happens it would drastically change the economies of people. Road widening might take place which might be done on agricultural lands and rain water basins. Paddy agriculture will be diminished and the hardscape will take over, not allowing the water to seep into the soil and worsen the floods.
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