September 1: An unknown ship dumped tons of waste oil into the Arabian sea, creating tar balls that were heaping on Goa\'s famed beaches on Wednesday, officials said.
Indian navy and coast guard vessels were trying to trace the ship that is believed to have dumped burnt oil about three days ago, said Aleixo Sequeira, the state\'s environment minister.
"If we are able to find the vessel, then action would be immediately initiated," Sequeira said. He declined to say what action would be taken. Wave after wave of tar balls have been floating ashore at Goa beaches for two days, layering the beaches 15 cm deep with semisolid oil lumps. Popular beaches such as Colva, Candolim and Calangute were badly hit.
On Wednesday, scores of civic workers used brooms to collect and clear the oily debris, but still more tar balls were washing ashore, said Swapnil Naik, Goa\'s top tourism official. The beaches are not closed, but few visitors are there since tourism season begins in October.
Ships regularly clean tanks and discharge the waste oil at sea, but this case involved careless dumping that exceeded all proportions, say scientists at India\'s National Institute of Oceanography, located in Goa. "Crude oil mixes with water to form an emulsion that looks like chocolate pudding. Winds and waves continue to stretch and tear the oil patches into smaller pieces, or tar balls," said S. R. Shetye, who heads the institute.
Goa's tourism industry is worried that news of the pollution could put off visitors to one of the most sought after and cheap destinations in India. Nearly 2.5 million tourists visit annually, including half a million foreigners, mostly from the U.K., Israel and Russia. "This should not have happened. It will not be good for tourism in Goa," said Gaurish Dhond, president of the Association of Goa. The tourist season in Goa lasts until March.
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| Tar Balls on Goan Beaches |
"If we are able to find the vessel, then action would be immediately initiated," Sequeira said. He declined to say what action would be taken. Wave after wave of tar balls have been floating ashore at Goa beaches for two days, layering the beaches 15 cm deep with semisolid oil lumps. Popular beaches such as Colva, Candolim and Calangute were badly hit.
On Wednesday, scores of civic workers used brooms to collect and clear the oily debris, but still more tar balls were washing ashore, said Swapnil Naik, Goa\'s top tourism official. The beaches are not closed, but few visitors are there since tourism season begins in October.
Ships regularly clean tanks and discharge the waste oil at sea, but this case involved careless dumping that exceeded all proportions, say scientists at India\'s National Institute of Oceanography, located in Goa. "Crude oil mixes with water to form an emulsion that looks like chocolate pudding. Winds and waves continue to stretch and tear the oil patches into smaller pieces, or tar balls," said S. R. Shetye, who heads the institute.
Goa's tourism industry is worried that news of the pollution could put off visitors to one of the most sought after and cheap destinations in India. Nearly 2.5 million tourists visit annually, including half a million foreigners, mostly from the U.K., Israel and Russia. "This should not have happened. It will not be good for tourism in Goa," said Gaurish Dhond, president of the Association of Goa. The tourist season in Goa lasts until March.
Salvancar is gojng to become a ship breacking place in Goa sea shore.He has to go to do ship breaking not salvage work.
ReplyDeleteSalvage company can do the job.Why government of India has banned the shipbreaking yard in various places?It will destroy the sea shore.
So government selected few places -Alank and kannanore in Keala.Now anther ship braking yard is to be started by Salaokar in Goa.The pollution depar will not allow to ship break in Goa sea shore.India government has no norms to destroy the place.Althe people should not allow to destroy the sea shore.
Goa tourim is getting loss because of the river princess agrounded.Goa tourim must collect ten years income to Goa from Salgoakar.
Does the government care about Goa and its Citizens? I doubt it, the money they have accumulated is enough for their next few generation to leave Goa and stay in another parts of India. Why will they bother about Goa?? Goa needs a change of younger honest Goan Blood.
ReplyDeleteThis is a punishment from God. Even the Almighty is trying to save Goa from the thieves and crooks who are descending into goa like the tar balls on the shore. I hope this goes on and on without stopping so that tourism in Goa will come to an end and all the migrant ghantis will run away back to their states as well as the mega projects.
ReplyDeleteI am a passionate critic of some of the undesirable things that happen to my beloved Goa. At times I go through mental or immotional disorder simply as to comprehend the intentions my own uneducated, ignorant, the illiterate and uncultured folks mis-using their votes with no specific purpose. We have the power to put a authoritative and well educated personality in governance of this once beautiful State of Goa but, what do we do! we cry wolf when things go wrong by electing the same people over and over.The present sorry state of the environment is solely due to the elected lot lacking integrity and are dishonest in all of their dealings. Our Govermnet do not understand security so the question of territorial boundaries that need to be protected from these rogue vessels is beyond their limits. Some of the countries hire such ships to dump their (may be even nuclear) waste in unprotected waters and, Goa's boundaries are an open invitation to all such dumping.
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