The next time you prefer to take a stroll on the Caveossim beach, don’t be surprised to find the white sandy beach stretch turned black by oily substance or the traditional fishermen netting more plastic waste than fish in the sea.
MARGAO
Indeed, members of the Cavelossim Biodiversity Committee and the panchayat have found to their shock the damage done to the sandy beach by the tarballs menace. Like many a beach stretch across the coast, the Cavelossim beach is also hit by the menace of mixed waste washed ashore, throwing up problems for the traditional fishermen and the authorities to lift away the same.
In fact, the Cavelossim Biodiversity Committee has dashed off a letter to the Minister for Environment Nilesh Cabral to put in place a mechanism to stop and rein in on ships from discharging oil and sludge in the high seas.
Cavelossim Biodiversity Committee Chairman Dixon Vaz pointed out that the committee will also write a letter to the mercantile department to initiate steps to stop the ships from discharging oil in the sea.
“Cavelossim is known for its white sandy beach stretch, but today if you visit the beach, it has become black. This is because of the tarballs washed ashore. Oil tankers discharge oil out into the ocean and every year during April and May these tarballs wash ashore and get mixed up with white sand and turn it black,” Dixon said.
Saying that the tarballs are posing a serious problem to the coastal ecosystem, Dixon claimed, “We don't see any white crabs and shellfish, and thereby no fish for local fishermen. This needs to be reported to the Union Ministry of Environment and Forests urgently.”
He said a request has been made to Environment Minister Nilesh Cabral and Goa state biodiversity chairman to send a team of experts to do a proper study.
Dixon further pointed out that the waste menace on the coast has affected Cavelossim village as well. “Traditional fishermen have netted more waste than fish this season. This is a serious problem and it has to be tackled seriously,” he added.
Cavelossim Biodiversity Committee member Roy Barretto echoed similar sentiments. “I am a fisherman and I know how the tarballs have affected the marine life as well as the environment. When the tarballs melt, the oily substance gets mixed with the white sand, turning it black,” he said.
Dixon and Roy pointed out that the Cavelossim biodiversity committee, Cavelossim panchayat and college students participated in a beach cleanliness drive on Friday as part of the initiative to keep the beach clean.
