A visit to a waterfall is tempting and to tourists coming to Goa, not visiting the beach is meaningless. However, visits to both these places, at this time of the year, should be done with caution.
“When we clean the beach, broken glass pieces can be found everywhere during this time of the season, and that is why people walking on the beach should be careful,” advises beach cleaner, Somnath.
“We do clear a lot of other messes that either come with the high tide or get washed down during the low tide. However, glass shrapnel tends to escape detection and hence those walking on the beach should do so with caution,” reiterates Somnath.
Despite the rains, a visit to the beach is compulsory for tourists visiting the State. But, as Somnath explains, glass shrapnel on the beach poses a problem.
“Broken bottle pieces are not distinctly visible at this time of the year and are now not only found near sand dunes, but also on the shoreline and hence are even more dangerous,” confesses Seema, who takes a daily walk on the beach.
“Sometimes, broken pieces of bottles cannot be clearly seen, with only the tip protruding from the sand, and this makes it all the more dangerous at this time of the year. Broken bottles abandoned during the season get washed ashore during the monsoons,” reasons lifesaver, Marcus.
Sometimes, broken pieces of bottles cannot be clearly seen, with only the tip protruding from the sand, and this makes it all the more dangerous at this time of the year.
Marcus, Lifesaver
If walking on the beach has an element of risk, visits to waterfalls should be laced with caution because of the inherent risks, with a number of deaths being reported over the years.
“One reason police are stationed (at these locations) to stop tourists as well as locals from visiting waterfalls is because people use these places to drink (alcohol) and later, venture into the water,” explained a police officer posted near a waterfall.
If walking on the beach has an element of risk, visits to waterfalls should be laced with caution because of the inherent risks, with a number of deaths being reported over the years.
“Seeing the locals, the also tourists get into the water, unaware of the depths and the ground surface. And, with crowds, it makes it difficult to keep an eye on what is happening,” he observed.
“The government ban on visits to waterfalls was in place for the safety of all. If something goes wrong, word spreads like wildfire, and to undo that is more troublesome. Hence, caution is being taken,” stated a member from the Department of Tourism on condition of anonymity.
“We do not have enough police to depute at all the waterfalls, and hence the outlook of 'prevention is better than cure'. People tend to think it is anti-tourism whilst we think it is pro,” stated the officer.
Empty alcohol bottles, some broken, and plastic remnants of picnic items around waterfalls are signs of a lack of basic community sense. Locals point fingers at tourists and vice versa.
To keep Goa green, the places need to be clean. Someone once said, 'But the most beautiful things in life are not things. They’re people and places, memories and pictures. They’re feelings and moments and smiles and laughter.'