Cutbona jetty sanitation crisis resurfaces 10 days into season

At Cutbona, workers prefer bathing on boats or the jetty over using the fisheries complex bathrooms.

MARGAO
Sanitation and hygiene concerns have resurfaced at the State’s largest fishing hub — the Cutbona fishing jetty — just 10 days into the new fishing season, following the detection of multiple diarrhoea cases among migrant workers.

Health officials have screened nearly 1,000 migrant workers upon their arrival at the jetty, as part of the mandatory protocol introduced by the Fisheries Department this year. Boat owners are now required to ensure their crew undergo health screening before joining their respective fishing vessels.

Despite these proactive measures, a glaring issue continues to fester: the underutilisation of the newly constructed sanitation facilities at the jetty. The 50-seater toilet block — installed last year after a cholera outbreak — remains grossly underused.

According to officials from Sulabh, the agency entrusted with maintaining the sanitation facilities, barely 150 workers use the toilets on average. This means the majority of the workforce is reportedly relieving themselves either aboard the vessels or in open fields and nearby water bodies.

“This is exactly what we feared. The government has invested over Rs one crore to improve sanitation infrastructure at Cutbona for the benefit of these workers. Unfortunately, the facility is lying underutilised,” a Sulabh official stated.

The situation has also sparked concern among local residents. Velim Sarpanch Veena Cardozo confirmed that the Panchayat has received complaints from residents of Zuvem, a locality near the jetty, regarding open defecation in paddy fields and around water bodies.

In light of these developments, officials have called for immediate intervention from the Fisheries Department. “The Director of Fisheries should convene a meeting with boat owners and ensure that they instruct their crew to use the facilities provided,” an official suggested. “While a few boat owners are reportedly ensuring this, the larger majority are not, which is worrying in the context of public health.”

Sources pointed out that with 50 per cent of the migrant workers yet to report to the Cutbona fishing jetty to join the fishing vessels operating from the jetty, the Fisheries Department should hold an awareness programme for the boat owners to persuade their workers to use the sanitation facility.

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Bathing in the open raises further concerns

In addition to the lack of use of toilet facilities, hygiene standards are further compromised by the bathing practices of the workers. Despite the presence of eight bathrooms within the sanitation block, many workers continue to bathe on their fishing vessels or on the jetty itself.

When the media visited the Cutbona fishing jetty on Sunday, several migrant workers were seen bathing in the open, either aboard boats or in nearby areas within the fisheries complex. A local villager remarked, “Someone needs to educate and persuade the workers to use the facility. Without awareness and active enforcement, it will remain underutilised.”

While Sulabh confirmed that water supply is available in the bathrooms, the lack of doors is being cited as a likely deterrent for their use.

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Is the user fee a deterrent?

The recurring question that haunts authorities is whether the user fees for the toilet and bath facilities are dissuading workers from availing themselves of them. Sulabh has set the charges at Rs 5 for toilet use and Rs 15 for bathing.

The issue of user fees was discussed in a recent meeting chaired by Fisheries Director Dr Shamila Monteiro, which included local panchayat representatives and government officials. One suggestion put forth was for boat owners to bear the sanitation charges of their crew to encourage usage. However, no decision has yet been finalised.

“As long as this issue remains unresolved, we can’t expect significant improvement in sanitation compliance,” noted a source familiar with the discussions.

With diarrhoea cases already emerging, and the fishing season just beginning, authorities face mounting pressure to act swiftly. Hygiene and sanitation compliance at Cutbona jetty can no longer be viewed as optional — it is a public health imperative.