MONDAY, APRIL 29, 2024
CLINTON D SOUZA
VELSAO: Thick large deposits of tarballs have washed ashore on beach stretches between Velsao northwards. It is exactly the same ugly phenomenon witnessed in the northernmost beaches
Spotted by locals in the area, the tarballs range from tiny to very large blobs of black oily and sticky substances making it difficult for people to visit the beach or walk along the shore. Residents in the area were surprised to see the blanket of black tar littered across the entire shoreline, some in small chunks while others in large palm-sized balls. Large areas of the Majorda- Velsao beach shore have large deposits of the substance as of Sunday afternoon. Some reported seeing oily, frothy patches on the surface of the sea water. Last month, locals and beachgoers had noticed black oily substance floating in the water at certain places.
Several people from across the state especially from the coastal belt have raised eyebrows over this issue. A senior environmentalist from the South Savio Correia said,“ this is a seasonal issue, as per the recent fingerprint study conducted by NIO Goa has found its origin in the oils at Mumbai High, their appearance must be due to the ocean currents and wind. These tarballs, which were now washed ashore were coated with fish eggs this time. There is no doubt that there is a threat to the Goan marine life and ocean eco-system due to this, these tarballs found recently will be and is a very big backlash to the Goan tourism industry. Already the State Government had constituted a team last year to look into this matter, but not proper report. Something has to be done now before it’s too late”.
Recently even the National Fishworkers’ Forum (NFF) General Secretary, Olencio Simoes slammed the State administration and the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEFCC) for the failure to controlling tarball menace in the State of Goa. Xencor Polgi, an Environmental activist said, “Mormugao Port Trust and Indian Coast Guard have failed to control the ships which enter port as it is the same ships that release the sludge into the ocean. The consequences are disastrous when MPT will bring 136 MMTPA of coal in Goa as the frequency of ships will increase multifold and Goa which is known for its silver sandy beaches will lose its essence completely.”
Meanwhile, Roberta D’costa, who visits the beaches often and was shocked to see the state of the Arossim and Velsao beaches, said that the entire beach (Velsao) was littered with tarballs and as she walked these tar balls were getting stuck to her feet and legs. Moreover, the big tarballs had muscles growing on them. “At some places, it was not only the tar balls; even the garbage was washed ashore. There were leftover fishing nets which are thrown and abandoned in the sea, which had a huge bunch with massive fish eggs.”
The issue is that this is an annual occurrence almost at the beginning of the tourism season. It’s a disastrous advertisement for a state whose economy revolves around tourism.
