Goa is already drowning in a sea of garbage, courtesy of tourists, but of late, locals have also started dumping household junk in orchards and green areas in the coastal villages of Benaulim, especially while undertaking renovations.
To make space for more stuff, they burn the previously discarded trash, including furniture, mattresses, window frames, plastic, etc., which leads to toxic smoke emissions. This is hazardous to public health, and with the hot summer upon us prematurely, there is a clear and present danger of the dry vegetation catching fire and engulfing large areas in its wake.Similar incidents have already taken place in North Goa. I request the law enforcement authorities and the panchayat to constitute flying squads to tackle the menace by detecting and imposing penalties on errant citizens.
