FACED WITH DIRTY BEACHES, TOURISM DEPT PROMISES CLEAN-UP

By Frederick Noronha

PANJIM: Goa's tourism department, which is facing the heat from
the courts and citizens' groups dissatisfied with the state of
affairs, has outlined a number of steps it plans to take to keep
this state's beaches less dirty.

Goa has a coastline of some 105 kms, of which some 65 kms
comprises of beaches and sandy stretches. But this state's
tourism boom has proven to be the undoing of some scenic beaches,
as the authorities have been unable to curb deteriorating hygiene
levels on the more popular beaches.

Now, after being cornered by the courts, the tourism department
has outlined a long list of "measures taken and mechanisms
involved to keep the beaches clean".

It may be recald that one year back the then tourism director had
told the courts that the Government has "taken a policy decision"
not to allow any food festivals to be organised anywhere on the
beach, nor to permit any other activities which "tend to make
them dirty or create (an) unclean and unhygienic atmosphere".

Tourism officials in Panjim, while conceding that it was their
duty to maintain clean beaches, argued that they needed the "co-
ordination" of local bodies -- including the panchayats fo
Calangute, Candolim, Anjuna, Colva, Cavelossim and Benaulim, and
the municipal councils of Panjim and Mormugao.

"Collection of garbage in the respective villages is the duty of
the local bodies," contended the tourism department.

"Unless and until their cooperation and co-ordination is
received, the task becomes difficult...," said tourism officials.
They informed that a meet had been held in this regard by the
tourism minister last December.

At this meet, the government conceded, though reluctantly, that
there were problems on quite a few fronts, by putting a number of
concerns raised by citizens groups on its agenda.

Some of the issues raised were garbage (degradable and non-
biodegradable), dumping of construction materials by builders on
the beaches, defecation on the beaches, garbage from shacks,
Baina beach's need for a cleanup, tarball pollution and waste
material accumulation, and proper monitoring of the beach
cleanliness.

If local bodies failed to keep the beaches and the surrounding
areas clean, the "failure on their part will be viewed seriously
by the government and action as provided under the law will be
taken", warned the tourism department in Panjim.

Other measures being taken include display of signboards in four
languages urging visitors to "keep the beach clean by depositing
the waste in dust bins", and seeking the help of school children
to cleanup dirty beaches.

Schools which have helped include People's in Panjim, Sharada
Mandir in Miramar, Mark Memorial and Don Bosco's in Calangute,
and St Jude's and Infant Jesus' at Colva.

Beaches along the coast also have the services of five
supervisors and 51 swepers, even if this so far does not seem to
have helped the problem much. Zonal offices have also been set at
Mapusa and Margao, headed by assistant tourism officers, with the
responsibility of cleanliness of the beaches.

Miramar beach -- on the outskirts of Panjim, which at times
becomes a crowded Chowpatty beach of sorts -- is being
exclusively looked by the tourism department headquarters.

Information assistants are asked to liaison with citizens'
groups, NSS and school organisations.  To have mobility, the info
assistants in north and south Goa have also been provided with
two-wheelers "in order to have mobility and to keep constant
supervision".

Info assistants have to produce monthly reports, and if work is
not done adequately by their subordinates, responsibility is to
be fixed on them, according to the department.

Miramar has been given two mini-beach cleaners. But these cannot
operate continously, and need a half-hour's break after about an
hour, depending on temperatures. Staff too work from 8 am to 12
noon, and from 2 to 5 pm.

After going in for these costly pieces of equipment, the
department found them to be working at a "very slow pace". Each
needs two litres of petrol per hour, and can cover about 250
square metres. There are plans to buy a big beach cleaner at Rs
51 lakh, for which New Delhi has given its sanction but is yet to
give funds.

Garbage bins are now being installed on the beaches.

Tenders were also invited from contractors to remove garbage
twice a day, particularly that generated by beach-shacks, which
have since been charged a licence fee by the government.
Contractors bid about Rs 1.2 lakh per month for collecting
garbage each from north and south Goa beaches.

Sometime back, the government launched discussion swith Sulabh
International to purchase the Sulabh Thermophilic Aerobic
Composter, STAC, for conversion of biodegradable garbage into
manure. But this was found to be not used on beaches, and the
proposal was dropped.

"Labourers and fisherfolk" have been blamed for defecating on the
beaches, even though there are sulabh sauchalayas (public
toilets) at Miramar, Baga, Anjuna, Vagator, Calangute, Colva and
Benaulim beaches.

In January this year, Panjim set up a committee to look into "all
aspects of solid waste management" in urban and rural Goa. It's
report is expected by the end of this month, April.

Goa's police have also been asked to maintain "vigilance" on the
beaches, and post two police personnel on each beach. But in view
of the staff shortage that the police have been perennially
complaining of, it's unsure whether they are likely to spare
men in uniform to ensure that nobody is illegally messing up
these public places.

Officials have segregated Goa's beaches into three types. In the
first category are beaches popular mong tourists and locals --
Miramar, Baga, Calangute, Anjuna, Vagator and Colva.

Category two, made up of less-frequented beaches, are Candolim,
Sinquerim, Benaulim and Palolem. In the third category are those
beaches most frequented by foreign tourists -- Arambol,
Cavelossim and Bogmalo.

After citizens' groups raised these issues, the government has
conceded that there is cause to worry. "Beaches should be
maintained clean on (a) priority basis as it is one of the main
attraction (for) tourists...," concedes the tourism
department.(ENDS)