It is learnt that Benaulim beach was awash with an unusually large amount of waste material due to rough seas and high tide. This is an annual occurrence at various beaches across the State during the monsoon. People have the habit of littering, throwing waste in water bodies. But there is also the sea which is doing its own job of cleaning itself. Whatever junk gets thrown into the sea, the sea throws it back. Rain washes trash through storm drains, and rivers and streams carry it to the ocean.
Plastic makes up about 90 percent of the trash in the ocean. Hundreds of aquatic ecosystems have been affected or killed by marine debris, which can injure or kill animals if entangled in it, as well as jeopardize their habitats. Marine debris can potentially pose a health risk to humans and jeopardize navigational safety. More rubbish is found near tourist destinations like Goa and densely populated places.
Besides littering, sewer overflows, inadequate waste disposal management, industrial activity, constructions are the main cause of garbage ending in the sea. Goa spends crores of rupees of public funds every year in beach-cleaning operations. This expenditure can be curtailed by disposing of the garbage in a proper and scientific manner. The seas throwing trash onto the beach is one way by which nature reminds us that we are not doing it right.
