The high tides along the coastline of Pernem, Cadolim-Calangute and Salcete have sent shivers down the spines of shack owners once again as huge tides forced water into their structures. The ground realities haven’t changed. Stakeholders, including the government have not learnt any lessons from the cyclone Ockhi-related waves that played havoc along Goa’s coastline in December last year.
The tidal swells come and go leaving a trail of destruction, but the urgency shown at the start eases off just like the waves. Otherwise, just consider this: With the Cyclone Ockhi swell in December last, the government got into the act and promised a disaster management plan by March this year. However, the plan is yet to see the light of the day. The only excuse that could be offered now, and this has become a trend, is that Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar’s illness has come in the way.
Besides the plan, the state is still not equipped to minimize damages in the absence of quick response disaster management teams. A proposal to form two units each of State Disaster Response Force for North and South Goa comprising of 30 personnel from the Indian Reserve Batallion, fire services and civil defence and home guards has itself been a disaster till now. The only routine that is religiously followed is of teams from north and south rushing to the affected sites the following day to assess the damage. At best, we could expect a visit by Tourism minister Babu Ajgoankar too.
Besides the quick response teams, the State has failed to come up with a policy for private shacks. Shacks continue to be allotted with no serious consideration of the beach carrying capacity. It is obvious that there are no site inspections by authorities once the licences are granted. The result is for everyone to see, except for the authorities who prefer to turn a blind eye. Shacks have been erected in close proximity to the beach with some choosing to have their tables and chairs as close to the waters as possible.
Weather advisories can help in alerting those concerned, but it cannot help much in terms of damage to the shacks per se since dismantling shacks or even relocating them cannot be done overnight. The only precaution that can be exercised is minimizing loses in terms of moving furniture and groceries that are stocked.
The last time there was tidal damage, the government had assured shack owners that due compensation would be disbursed after a proper study. No study has been done so far and no compensation disbursed. The matter ends there, unless we are made to believe that it is still under study. The government and all stakeholders in the tourism sector need to take these tidal swells very seriously. We are a coastal State and cannot wait helplessly for a catastrophe to strike.
