On Sunday, a 40-year-old man from Rajasthan, a resident of Margao, drowned in the Dudhsagar River at Pipalmal-Collem after he went for a bath but failed to negotiate the waters. Recently, a 62-year-old tourist from Bangalore had gone missing at the waterfall. The Sunday drowning comes against the backdrop of the Office of the Deputy Conservator of Forests Wildlife and Ecotourism’s advisory that the Dudhsagar Waterfalls tourism circuit would be closed from June 1 due to the advancement of the monsoon. On Monday, another drowning case was reported at Varca Beach.
It was on May 26 that South Goa district Magistrate Alvin Chandru issued prohibitory orders against swimming in waterfalls, abandoned quarries, rivers, lakes and other water bodies until further orders. The orders came after a case of drowning at a quarry in Bicholim where a 17-year-old boy drowned and two others were rescued.
While Chief Minister Pramod Sawant has appealed to citizens to exercise caution when visiting waterfalls and refrain from swimming, the police have expressed helplessness in manning quarries, waterfalls, rivers and lakes. Very soon the State will usher in the monsoon season, and waterfalls will be in focus again. Goa’s landscape becomes a tempting proposition for nature buffs in scorching summers and the monsoon.
The crux of the matter is that advisories and prohibitions will not work in a tourism destination like Goa where people, mostly tourists let loose and soak into revelry. Thousands of tourists and locals flock to the magnificent Dudhsagar fall and swim in the waters despite the notoriety of the area for drowning deaths. While manning every waterfall and quarry may not be possible as mentioned by the CM, the State must have security personnel deployed at least near prominent sites like Dudhsagar and others.
Drishti Lifeguards have been manning beaches for several years, and they have been doing a convincing job. Last year, the agency stated to have rescued 469 from drowning. At this point in time, Goa cannot afford to leave dangerous spots unguarded because it can be catastrophic in terms of deaths and adversely hit tourism of the State as well.
The issue of drowning needs to be dealt with practically and the government cannot expect tourists to adhere to the rules when history tells us that they don’t. We have seen it all the time, whether on the roads violating traffic rules or on the beaches by swimming in ‘red zones’. Expressing helplessness because the State doesn’t have the wherewithal to address the issue and merely relying on advisories to work is far-fetched and does not make practical sense.
If orders are issued by authorities like the Collector and the Deputy Conservator of Forests, then the government need to back them up with enforcement, otherwise, these orders are meaningless. The need of the hour is for the government to step up action, identify danger zones having a history of incidents and either bar entry or depute personnel to man the area.
Tourism Minister Rohan Khaunte’s idea of issuing circulars through district administrations serving as a reminder of the potential dangers of swimming in areas like waterfalls and quarries will not be able to effectively checkmate the irresponsibility of the many who are taking risks with Goa’s natural landscapes. Goa cannot afford to treat this issue with kid’s gloves any more.
