Goa’s coastline has long been its major tourism selling point, with an economic lifeline centred on it. But beneath the familiar picture of silver sands (much of which has changed colour now) and the vibrancy of its coastline, a troubling picture emerges. While official narratives routinely highlight beach-cleaning drives and waste-management efforts, a more insidious form of pollution has gone unaddressed.
A recent study by researchers at the CSIR-National Institute of Oceanography (NIO), Goa, has brought this problem sharply into focus, revealing the alarming accumulation of cigarette butts along some of the busiest beaches. Researchers recorded an average of 3.15 cigarette butts per square metre across eight surveyed stretches. Numbers were even higher at crowded tourist hotspots, with Baga recording 5.77 butts per square metre, Calangute 5.60, and Arambol 4.97. Using the Cigarette Butt Pollution Index (CBPI) and Hazardous Items Index (HII), the researchers classified all eight beaches as severely polluted.
This is far more than an eyesore. Cigarette filters are made from cellulose acetate, a form of plastic that breaks down very slowly and eventually fragments into microplastics. Once buried in the sand, discarded cigarette butts can leach harmful substances, including nicotine, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons and heavy metals such as copper and zinc, into the surrounding environment. These pollutants can then find their way into coastal ecosystems.
The findings expose a glaring gap in the way Goa approaches beach pollution. Much of the State’s attention remains focused on the garbage in the form of bottles, plastic containers and other bulky waste, while smaller but potentially hazardous pollutants receive almost zero attention. Cigarette waste is a case in point. Tourists continue to stub out cigarettes and leave the filters buried in the sand, often without fear of any consequence.
And cigarette butts are only part of the problem. For more than ten years, tourists and residents have repeatedly raised concerns about broken glass littering Goa’s beaches. A recent warning by a tech influencer about jagged pieces of glass buried beneath the sand at Morjim brought wider attention to an issue that lifeguards encounter routinely. Drishti Marine lifeguards have reported treating visitors with cuts to their feet caused by shattered beer and liquor bottles at beaches including Baga, Calangute and Colva.
The broken-glass menace also raises questions about the enforcement of restrictions on drinking in public places. Despite provisions prohibiting alcohol consumption on beaches, drinking continues openly at several tourist stretches. A rule that exists on paper but is rarely enforced can’t be a deterrent. Add to this paan and gutka spitting that has become a visible form of nuisance, leaving red stains on the sands.
It is depressing because, while Goa is being promoted as a premium tourism destination, the tourism department cares less for the State’s valuable natural assets. Goa cannot afford to continue making this trade-off. Tourism and environmental protection cannot be treated as competing priorities, because the tourism economy itself depends heavily on the health and appeal of the beaches.
Authorities have lately been discarding or shooting down studies by NIO or the Goa University whenever critical observations are made. There was an instance when a prominent minister stated that studies should be discussed with them before making them public. This NIO study should serve as a warning. Goa’s beaches should be remembered for their natural charm, not for cigarette filters buried in the sand, broken glass underfoot, and paan spit seeping into the ecosystem.
