A standard postcard of any beach will have images of the sand and the sea among other regular features. In Goa there are the shacks, the swaying trees and flock of tourists.
However in Majorda, one will have to add ‘streams’ to the images of sand and sea. Not only is the main entrance to the beach blocked by a stream of water, at several places on the beach you have large streams of water occupying more space than usual.
So much so, there is a pool of water in the area demarcated for shacks and to get to these shacks and if you take the main entrance by the ‘steps’ to the beach, you have to cross over makeshift wooden footbridges.
The issue is not isolated just to Majorda; there is a footbridge at one of the Utorda beach entry points while water streams on the beach have changed its course and size elsewhere at beaches such as Arossim and Mobor.
For those who go for regular long walks on the beach, their paths come to an abrupt end at Majorda and at some spots you have to take one of the many bridges to get to the other side.
Social activist Kennedy Afonso pointed out that locals are concerned about the size of the beach stretch reducing, rising sea levels and how every year the situation is worsening and this year showing the strongest effects.
While this issue has been raised at the Majorda – Utorda- Calata gram sabha, stakeholders such as shack owners, ramponkars and even Majorda residents have taken their concerns to the authorities.
“Every year, after the monsoons you had these rivulets that would take the overflowing water from the village drains and other waterways and it would empty out into the sea. This was locally known as ‘haandi’ and by December the situation would return to normal and water levels would reduce,” said Advocate Radharao Gracias and local resident. Locals say post-monsoon, the beach retains its regular shape by natural process but lately with the shift in tide pattern, post-monsoon rains and construction activities, the situation is changing.
On that note, Radharao believes the topography of the area has changed due to various reasons which have resulted in the current situation that has troubled the locals in the area.
Shack owners pointed out that the rising water levels have raised difficulties and in some cases, the water stream covers the area where they place their chairs and table. However, they feel that these are natural occurrences so nothing much can be done except for the Tourism Department or other authorities stepping in and help ease the situation.
“It’s not a welcoming site for tourists or shack owners as there is water logging in front of their shacks or at the entry point,” said noted musician Andrew Ferrao, who was at the beach recently. To enter the main beach, the popular and most used route is over the footbridge although there is another entrance at some distance.
