Broken glass pieces cut deep into Goa's beach experience

PANAJI: When Mapusa-resident Mahesh Shetkar (name changed) took his son to Baga beach for a spot of fun and frolic, the 41-year old never expected to return home with a gash on his head. What was supposed to be a fun family outing led to a trip to the emergency room. The incident is just one of the 17 cases in the first six months of 2024. And they are rising.
From being hurled at individuals to causing deep cuts, glass bottles mar Goa's famed beach experience.For Drishti Marine, govt-appointed agency tasked with keeping beach-goers safe, this is yet another occupational hazard.
"We are concerned about the number of injuries caused by broken bottles and glass pieces on beaches," said Drishti Marine CEO Navin Awasthi.
These incidents not only pose serious risks to the safety and well-being of beach-goers, but also undermine the enjoyment and peace that these natural spaces are meant to provide,” said the Drishti Marine chief executive officer.
The Baga beach incident occurred because Shetkar asked a tourist to stop throwing sand at his son. Bleeding profusely, Shetkar was lucky that lifeguards gave him first aid and called for an ambulance.
“During holidays and weekends, the beaches see a lot of visitors, who consume alcohol on the shore or in the water,” said Drishti Marineoperations manager and lifesaver Sashikant Jadhav.
A 36-year-old man from Karnataka was hit on the head with a glass bottle thrown by another group of tourists, again at Baga beach, leaving the man with a head injury. North Goa’s beaches hasmost number of glass shard injuries, with Baga responsible for 10 of them. Calangute, Baina, Benaulim and Palolem have reported a case each and Colva with 3 cases.
“Cases of visitors with injuries due to broken glass pieces increase during holidaysespecially festivals and New Year. In some cases, individuals intentionally break bottles and litter them on the sand. This can be extremely dangerous for visitors, especially young children,” said Awasthi. When an injury is reported, Drishti lifeguardsfirst assess whether the bleeding is excessive and if the person can walk to the tower.
“We don’t extract the glass due to the possibility of inducing excessive bleeding and exacerbating the injury. In case of less severe cuts, we bandage the wound to stop bleeding. However, if the cut is deep and the patient is unable to walk, we provide a stretcher which is carried to a Drishti Marine vehicle which ferries the patient to the public health centre,” said Jadhav.
A 38-year-old from Chennai suffered a deep gash after stepping on a glass shard and had to be shifted to a hospital for treatment. Efficiency concerns still arise due to inadequate removal of debris.