Team Herald
MARGAO: The presence of a black oily substance in the water at Benaulim beach was an eyesore for visitors and locals alike as the tar ball menace resurfaced on Goa’s coastline.
Incidentally, this happened on World Environment Day when various groups were conducting beach clean-up drives across the beaches on Salcete’s coastal belt.
The oil slick meant the waves that crashed on the shore left behind traces of oil residue and people on the beach had to make sure not to step on it.
The local fishermen complained of how difficult it is to wash the oil from their body if you make contact with it. They lamented that fish are dying because of the oil contamination and that they had recently buried four turtles and two dolphins.
Concerned citizens, tourism stakeholders and the fishermen called on the government to do more than pay lip-service and look into the source of this issue which would solve this problem that occurs every year in the summer and pre-monsoon period. Blame was attributed to oil rigs and cargo ships that discharge oil in the ocean, which flows towards the beaches in Goa and neighbouring States too.
When Tourism Department officials were contacted, they stated that directions had already been issued to the Goa State Pollution Control Board (GSPCB) to collect the tar balls and study them to identify what they contain.
In the past GSPCB had issued recommendations to the State government on how to tackle this issue.
