“That turtles find it safe to lay their eggs and venture back into the sea, is proof that Goa is a haven, not only for humans, but also for animals. It also explains why I have made Goa my second home,” says Ingrid Saini, from Kolkata, as she strolls on Morjim beach, and, on the horizon, the sun begins to set.
Goa recorded the highest number of turtle nestings on Morjim beach during the 2023-24 season. But, that joy was temporarily stubbed when an event company, based in Pondicherry, decided to organise a lantern festival, called Glowfest, on the beach.
A festival with the glow of lanterns is a serene proposition. But, the lanterns that were to be lit on Saturday at Morjim beach got doused two days prior when environmentalists, locals and conservationists got together to protest the insensitivity of having such a festival in a place chalked out to save an endangered species.
Morjim is one of the three beaches -- the other two being Galgibaga and Agonda in South Goa -- declared as turtle nesting sites.
Ironically, when the organisers announced that the festival was to be cancelled, it became evident, through a government memorandum dated 22/05/2024, that no permissions had been obtained to stage the paid event.
The memorandum read: 'No such event which harms or which disturbs an ecological setup shall be allowed to happen in any ecological sensitive area.'
Parties, festivals or the use of loud music is prohibited within the area declared as a turtle nesting site, and hence, the presence of turtle guards of the Forest Department on 24 hours duty around the area.
Glowfest was a party designed wherein lanterns would be lit and released into the air as revellers would dance on the beach to the beats of music. But, the Save Morjim and Save Siolim brigade rose in protest.
The reasons were that releasing lanterns with live fire into the sky, risks people, forests, shacks and houses in summer when everything is dry.
Lanterns, even if biodegradable, take a long time to decompose; and birds and animals and marine life would be susceptible to danger. The bamboo frame, that is part of lanterns, takes years to break down and acts as trap for wildlife, fish, birds and small animals.
Tourists still flock to Morjim beach during the day, leaving the area earmarked for turtles after sunset, though loud music can be heard emanating from some establishments within the CRZ 1 area.
Lanterns, even if biodegradable, take a long time to decompose; and birds and animals and marine life would be susceptible to danger. The bamboo frame, that is part of lanterns, takes years to break down and acts as trap to wild life, fish, birds and small animals.
“When there is no moonlight, turtle hatchlings rely on their hearing to reach the ocean. Sea turtles possess ear-like organs that enable them to detect vibrations and sound in the water,” educates Nester Fernandes, project coordinator of marine life in Goa.
“Though hidden beneath a protective layer of skin (cutaneous plate) these organs are surprisingly adept at picking up low frequency sounds ranging from 150 to 1,000 Hz,” adds Fernandes, whilst explaining the ban on loud music around sites demarcated as turtle nesting sites.
The protests were loud enough for the government not to ignore. The Department of Tourism didn't have a whiff of the event, if the Director of Tourism, Suneel Anchipaka, is to be believed. "I came to know about the event only through news reports," he said, indicating he doesn't have his ears to the ground.
Cancellation of the event is good news for the turtles in Morjim and it is now clear that the remaining hatchlings on the beach would emerge from their eggs and move unhindered towards the sea.
And, the happiest people, apart from the locals, were the tourists for whom Goa has become a second home, and also a home to the thousand-odd hatchlings which are now discovering the waters.