FATRADE-VARCA: Tonnes of garbage was washed ashore at the entire Salcete coastline from Fatrade beach in the coastal village of Varca to the Mobor beach in the southern Cavelossim village on the weekend.
This garbage came shortly a day after the authorities ensured that the beach cleaning firm engaged for this specific task had cleaned up the Benaulim beach.
Following the Herald news report titled “Environmentalist claims spotting tar balls on Benaulim beach, locals deny” on June 23 regarding the excessive plastic waste washed ashore on the Benaulim beach with Benaulim locals urging the authorities to deploy more manpower to maintain cleanliness on this beach. The villagers pointed out the shortage of only two personnel employed by the outsourced beach cleaning agency, the authorities swung into action cleaning this beach the next day. However, hardly two days later on the weekend, garbage was washed ashore along entire Salcete southern beaches.
After a short video of the heaps of mixed waste went viral on various social media platforms, the local authorities swung into action including the Carmona village panchayat undertaking a beach cleaning drive on Sunday.
The female voice that shot this video on the beautiful Fatrade beach is heard questioning the civic sense of the public regarding ‘the mess that the sea has vomited.’ “I am so angry right now. I don’t know what to say. Are we humans? We call ourselves having responsible tourism. Is this what it is all about? Just look at stretches and stretches of garbage. Can somebody help? This is an SOS cry! How can we be so crazy and behave the way we do? I don’t know what to say. Such a big, big, big pile of bottles and nets and plastic and toothpaste and toothbrushes and slippers…” lamented the unnamed female videographer.
A local Benaulim fisherman Pele Fernandes exclaimed, “There’s a lot of plastic scattered on the beaches that has gone back into the sea during the high tide. The task of beach cleaning has been outsourced to a Karnataka firm for crores of rupees but there’s plenty of waste lying scattered on the beaches harming the environment.”
Pele said that he walks the beach stretch from Colva to Varca daily in the morning and sees garbage washed ashore on the beach and receding to the sea when the tide changes.
He also said that he has already requested the state government to ask the cleaning agency to appoint more personnel since the two persons are not able to clean the entire stretch.
“After few days, we the traditional fishermen (ramponnkars) will start fishing again with our rampons (fishing nets). Every time we cast our nets into the sea to catch fish, we get two to three tonnes of plastic. After a day’s hard work, this is what we catch, not fish but garbage,” Fernandes added.
He said this garbage is washing ashore for the last two years which is unusual.
Another water sports operator not wishing to be named said, “It’s no use and pointless appealing to the local elected representatives like MLAs and ministers as they are extremely selfish and only concerned about their personal interests. When they are approached, they merely give assurances of ‘doing the work’ but in reality don’t do it. Hence, we don’t approach them.”
Sources state that upon being informed Pradeep Sarmokadam of the Goa State Biodiversity Board (GSBB) engaged some daily wage labourers to clear the mess from the beaches.
