Last week marked two important dates in the calendar — the Beach Clean Day on September 20 and the Swachhata Pakhwada campaign flagged off on September 17. While the Beach Clean Day passed off without much fanfare, the Swachhata Pakhwada campaign was marked by high-profile activities with legislators and ministers sweeping streets and cleaning garbage-strewn spots. These signs undeniably present a symbolic view of political will towards a cleaner Goa and make for social media optics.
Such visual gestures, often captured in viral videos, serve nothing to reinforce a belief in Swachhata — a call for collective responsibility and hygiene, as the State continues to deal with its garbage. Appeasing political bosses and creating a false sense of accomplishment on Swachhata has been a trend, not only in Goa but also across other states.
In Goa, Swachhata reflects a deeper meaning because the State has been grappling with garbage disposal for over three decades. Many parts of Goa continue to grapple with overflowing garbage, foul odours, and unhygienic conditions. The Saligao garbage treatment plant, for instance, faces persistent complaints of stench and unhygienic environments. The Bainguinim plant project has been delayed multiple times, with tenders being floated repeatedly, reflecting bureaucratic inertia and planning pitfalls. The Cacora plant is nearing capacity, and Margao depends heavily on it for waste treatment —highlighting infrastructural inadequacies that no amount of symbolic cleaning can resolve. Panaji has recently been declared the “cleanest city,” but doesn’t have a garbage treatment facility of its own. Beach garbage is another issue that the State has failed to resolve.
The increasing volume of plastic waste from tourism, shopping, and urbanization exacerbates the problem, with beaches and rivers becoming dumping grounds. Various studies, including the government’s own Central Pollution Control Board, reporting pollution in most of Goa’s rivers and sea waters. The environmental and health impacts are severe, threatening marine biodiversity, public health, and the livelihoods of local communities, especially fishermen. There is a lot to cover up on Swachhata, and the moment-driven optics appears hollow to achieve anything. Panaji MLA Atanasio Monserrate recently pointed out that cleanliness should start from the basics of garbage bins, and that he didn’t find any at beaches like Miramar.
It is sad that large parts of Goa, a widely promoted tourism destination that is eyeing “upper-class” tourists or “high spending” visitors, are not living up to that standard of a premium destination. In fact, cleanliness should have been a topmost priority. A foreigner may not be worried too much about the cost of his holiday in Goa, but certainly he would look at hygiene and sanitation.
The State government may be following the dictates and policies of the Centre, but at some point, it has to realise that mere optics are not helping. Together with policies and effective infrastructure, there has to be a sustained community engagement. Goa needs to look beyond mere the occasional “sweeping exercise” and consider the expansion of waste treatment facilities seriously, strict enforcement of waste segregation at source, incentivising responsible tourism, and fostering people’s participation. Legislators and policymakers must shift from optics-driven gestures to substantive actions. The time for symbolic gestures has passed; the focus must now be on meaningful, lasting change.
