Colva students respond to beach cleanup call
HERALD REPORTER
MARGAO, SEPT 11
Students and village volunteers joined the beach clean up exercise at the Colva beach on Wednesday, even as officials of the National Institute of Oceanography (NIO) made their presence felt at Colva to investigate the tar ball menace.
Around 20 students and two teachers from Infant Jesus High School, Colva responded to a call to clean up the beach hit by tar ball menace. Equipped with gloves and masks, the students lent a helping hand to clear the creek at Gandaulim-Colva invaded by tar balls.
“The students worked with diligence as they cleared the creek swarmed by the oil substance”, remarked Colva Civic and Consumer Forum secretary Judith Almeida as she complimented the school management for deputing the students for the save beach campaign.
A group of Forum volunteers also joined the exercise as the manpower deployed by the agencies, including tourism department proved too inadequate. The labourers deployed by the tourism department were ill-equipped to carry out the job, as the local NGO called for the scientific disposal of the collected tar balls.
Almeida said the labourers deployed by the agencies were not even equipped with sufficient number of spades to collect the tar balls. She demanded that the agencies brief the labourers how to go about the beach cleaning exercise, saying that burying the oily substance would not serve the objective, fearing the tar balls would return back to the sea during high tide.
The villagers said that the disaster management cell in Goa seems to be non existent as they did not take the situation under control and people of the village had to do the work. It was pointed out that even the panchayat members were not to be seen except for one lady panch member.
On Tuesday, labourers engaged by government agencies dug holes in the sand on the beach and filled it up with the tar, but were later stopped by CCCF volunteers. The Colva Civic and Consumer Forum lamented that there was no expert from the government side to advise and instruct the workers deployed on the beach how to go about the work.
Expressing her dissatisfaction over the visit of political figures on the beach, looking for name and fame, Almeida called upon the government agencies, including the tourism department to carryout out the work on a permanent basis.
Meanwhile, NIO officials descended at the Colva beach on Wednesday morning to take stock of the situation. The officials were seen collecting samples of the tar balls, besides the oily substance floating in the sea waters.
