the goan I network
MARGAO
The crumbling and corroding lifeguard watchtowers have become eyesores as they are still standing right at the entrance to the picturesque Colva and Benaulim beaches “ the favourite destination for locals and domestic tourists.
When The Goan team took a stroll of the Colva-Benaulim beach belt, it came across the abandoned watchtowers right at the entrance of the two beaches. Inquiries have revealed that though the authorities have erected new watchtowers at both the beaches, the old ones continue to remain.
Take the case of the Colva watchtower. It’s now over a year since the lifeguards had moved into the new tower, but the old one still remains, with its corroded steel rods posing danger to beach goers. Many tourists take shelter under the structure, without realizing that the weak structure may come crashing down any moment. “Tourists rush inside the weak structure when caught in the sudden rain. We have to constantly warn people not to take shelter inside as the tower may give way any moment,” informed a lifeguard manning the Colva beach.
The situation at the Benaulim beach is no different. Though a new watchtower was put up in March, the old tower has not been removed. A life guard manning the new tower told The Goan that the structure of the tower is not complete in all respects. The canopy is yet to fall in place and this is causing us great hardships, he stated. “In the absence of a canopy, rainwater finds its way into the structure,” remarked another lifeguard, while making a fervent plea to dismantle the old tower and provide canopy to the new one.
