“Clean Goa, Green Goa”

By: Vinod Chandrashekhar Dixit
Tourism is linked to the environment first, in terms of promoting places of natural beautyand second, in providing resources for the functioning of the industry.In a place like Goa, tourist accommodations for one have large and expensive energy requirements, especially for cooling systems and lighting. To keep Goa beautiful, we must raise public awareness and together make a disciplined, concerted effort to manage the estimated 400 tonnes of waste generated throughout Goa every day. Keep Goa Beautiful is an initiative by Goa Streets to mobilise the community and stop this garbage madness. Green Goa Works has accomplished much, but a much greater effort is required to solve Goa’s garbage mess. We must remember that Goa is not going to be 100% clean, that is, unless every person takes responsibility and does his bit, we won’t have results.Every citizen should act responsibly and take care of their own garbage. If waste is collected, segregated and disposed off in the right way, half the problem will be solved.
There’s no denying that booming tourism has scored major plus points for both the locals and the state’s economy. A long term vision for Goa that is rooted in sustainability, conservation and preservation is crucial.
A number of such initiatives have come into fruition and continue to do so as Goa continues to devise creative ways of not just seeing that the state survives, but thrives. Local government also introduced ‘agri-tourism’ to the state to heighten awareness of local agriculture to tourists and encourage them to buy locally-grown produce from markets and street vendors in a bid to boost the income of Goa’s farmers.A good plan is one that recognizes the State’s green assets, and Goa is blessed with pristine beauty, rich biodiversity, and complex man-made natural systems harnessing these natural resources in the most sustainable and non intrusive way.
Changing rooms on the beach, washroom facilities, information centers, garbage management systems, and wastewater management systems have long been absent, and no steps have been taken to remedy this basic infrastructure requirement.
Goa is water rich due to the fact that it receives a high amount of rainfall, and yet it faces water scarcity in many areas, particularly during the summer. Garbage and wastewater management systems must be made mandatory. Completely clean Goa of garbage and grey water/sewage, and have in place decentralized micro systems that use low energy, natural methods of recycling to reuse waste and garbage as a resource.
A number of intensive protection and rehabilitation measures have been taken recently that makes for a cleaner and greener change in Goa’s outlook.