Goa’s water woes in IFFI 2010

A young documentary filmmaker, Nalini Elvino de Souza, argues that Goa does not suffer water crisis but at the same time, people fail to conserve water.

This is what she depicts in her documentary titled 'Water', which will be screened during the International Film Festival of India (IFFI) 2010. The movie aims to revive the ancient tradition of 'water harvesting' as the solution for living a 'water stress-free life.'

"There are constant complaints of water shortage in the months of April and May, every year even though Goa has plenty water. We receive three meters rainfall every monsoon but unfortunately it is not conserved," she told IBNS.

The 10-day festival is slated to begin on Nov 22.

The 23-minutes documentary is chosen for the Vasudha awards at the IFFI and is scheduled for screening on November 29 in the short-films section.

Nalini, the documentary director, completed the shooting in mere two weeks and three additional weeks for editing before confirming the entry for IFFI.

The documentary has been shot during the monsoon this year in the interiors of Betqui village, located in North Goa. "We interviewed few Betqui villagers, who are an inspiration for their painstaking efforts to conserve water. The entire village of 100-odd 'Savoikars'

interestingly hail from one family," she recalled.

Nalini believes that Government should not be targeted every time, as people in general also owe responsibility.

"It is very easy to show the Government at fault without knowing what we can also contribute towards progress. The documentary will educate on how water can be conserved at individual, institution and Government level," she elaborated.

The 'Water' team has also interviewed ex-government officials who would explain methods to preserve water.

A Portuguese citizen of Goan origin, Nalini is also the producer of 'Contacto - Goa', a popular docu-series on Goa for Portugal's leading public broadcasting channel 'Radio e Televisao de Portugal' (RTP). The programme completed 50 episodes recently.

Asked her views about Goa and she promplty replied, "Goa is not just about beaches and sun. There is a chain of forts here, the cuisine of Goa, which is marked by such an interesting mix of cultures, Goan architecture, its great sons like Abade Faria among other things. The palette of culture which Goa offers is distinct from the rest of the country."

The filmmaker, also runs a language centre in Panaji called 'Communicare', which takes classes in Portuguese, Spanish, Russian, Italian and other regional languages. Her documentary on 'Rivers in Goa' was chosen for the Vasudha awards at the IFFI 2009.