Times have changed, Garbage spilled merely a few hundred meters away from the historic site of Goa which is dangerous. This is my second visit to Goa in seven years. Today, when I was travelling to Old Goa to have a glimpse of the world heritage site, I just stopped on the way to take a photograph of the wonderful coconut trees, and there I noticed huge heaps of garbage just thrown away in big plastic bags, stated a British tourist, the regular visitor to the state.
The description of Goa from the tourist’s point of view is something like this, Sun, Sea and Siesta. The sunny laid back vibes, beaches, mind-blowing parties are just some of the things Goa is known for amongst the tourists. Though Goa the smallest state in the country has maintained a reputation of being the most desired tourist’s destination. The rich history, culture and the architectural heritage of this state, add to its beauty.
But sadly now the description of Goa does not remain the same as some of the regular tourists coming to Goa have given negative remarks to the existing condition of this state. One of the articles published by Incredible Goa one UK national had stated that he will not be revisiting Goa Again, It Smells Like Fish it was a very sad remark but it is a fact.
According to him, He (Mr Goulding) and his Partner have been regular travellers to Goa, visiting here annually during Christmas for the past five years. However after their terrible experience this year, they have decided they will not return to Goa anymore, and their holiday plans will have a new destination.
According to the report published in the local daily Herald Goa, the British tourist responding to this condition around the heritage sites said “This is my second visit to Goa in seven years. Today, when I was travelling to Old Goa to have a glimpse of the world heritage site, I just stopped on the way to take a photograph of the wonderful coconut trees and there I noticed huge heaps of garbage just thrown away in big plastic bags. Times have changed. Garbage was spilled just a few hundred meters away from the historic site, which is dangerous.”
Garbage is everywhere in Goa and in fact, it won’t be an exaggeration if we say that Goa has become a Garbage prone zone. Right from the domestic tourists to the hoteliers throwing garbage wherever they find some opportunity, and some of our Goans are also not behind in this race. How many times people have been caught on the camera throwing their garbage around?
There is no place left in the developed Goa which remains unaffected by the Garbage menace except for the few Goan villages in the hinterlands of Goa, the remaining parts of Goa are covered by Garbage. In the city, you can see garbage everywhere and the famous tourist spots like Calangute are not left behind in this. Most of the Goan beaches situated in the North Goa have become a garbage zone.
It is both because of the locals and tourists, who visit the sites, indulge in drinking and leave the empty bottles around making a mess. These heaps of garbage often attract dogs which creates a nuisance for the people around the area. It is really disappointing that such important places are being neglected so badly.
The garbage dumped 100 meters away from the heritage site is actually a parking lot that is used during the Old Goa Fest. According to Times of India, the locals had raised this issue several times. Glen Cabral, a local resident stated “We had raised the issue of garbage being dumped within 100m -300m of the prohibited zone of archaeological sites in the government-owned Bhakia property next to Dempo shipyard. It is used as a temporary parking lot during the Old Goa feast.”
In the recent news, according to Herald Goa, The Goa State Pollution Control Board(GSPCB) has issued directions under section 5 of the Environment Protection Act to the Old Goa Panchayat to take appropriate measures and submit a compliance report on mass dumping of garbage within the heritage zone precincts at Old Goa.
This issue was raised by the Aam Admi Party. The AAP General Secretary, Pradeep Padgaonkar, who was the complainant of this issue, informed that an AAP Team had visited the heritage zone at the invitation of locals due to a growing problem of garbage.
The garbage dumped in the parking lot had decayed in the nearby river emitting a foul smell. This area was frequented by both tourists as well as the locals. The complaint was lodge in September 2018; finally, the GSPCB has issued a notice in January 2019, after passing the papers through several departments.
It is important to raise this issue to awareness of the politicians, in order to come up with a solution to the garbage problem in Old Goa. Heritage sites and monuments are priceless treasures of the state, which are irreplaceable. They must be protected with the utmost care and strict measures must be brought up to conserve these sites.
The Portuguese have ruled this state for almost 4 and a half decades and it is of no surprise that their influence can still be seen among the culture, cuisine, buildings and even the language of people. The Indo-Portuguese architecture still can be seen around the state and houses of this style exist in every corner of the street.
The marvellous architectural buildings speak of the Portuguese historical influence of the State and clearly shows the amalgamation of the eastern and Western culture which brings out a flavour that no other state offers. Many of these monuments comprise of Heritage Sites affiliated to UNESCO.
Old Goa is Goa’s pride and a sacred place with more number of churches and preserved architectures than anywhere else in the state. The famous amongst them are Se Cathedral (the seat of the Archbishop of Goa), the Church of St. Francis of Assisi, the Church of S. Caetano, and notably, the Basilica of Bom Jesus. It is also home to the large palace of Adil Shah, surrounded by fort walls, towers and a moat was located here as well as many temples and mosques. Unfortunately, none of these structures remains in existence today except for the ruins of the gateway to the palace.
This place still attracts millions of tourists per year who reminisce the Portuguese era from the walls and ruins of these buildings. The region of such historical importance must be preserved with care and must be conserved for generations to come. It is unfortunate that most of the buildings are now mere ruins of the Portuguese grandeur.
What has been a pride of Goa in the history is now becoming an eyesore with garbage dumps around and broken bricks. The littering of garbage around these heritage sites has not only damaged the reputation and the buildings but also have upsetter the residents around the site. Few hundred meters from the site, the place has been turned into a stinky garbage dumping ground with plastic, wine bottles and bags around. The World Heritage Site of Goa is No More the same with Garbage Dumped everywhere, says a British National
