“Warning signboards alone will not solve the problem. Most victims are aware that such places are risky, but the absence of proper barriers and enforcement encourages reckless behaviour. In many cases, these abandoned sites have virtually become unofficial picnic and swimming spots because authorities have failed to secure them properly.
The responsibility cannot rest only with the government. Quarry owners who abandon sites without adequate safety measures must also be held accountable. Local bodies, police, disaster management authorities, and panchayats need to work together instead of responding only after tragedies dominate headlines.”
Every summer, Goa witnesses the same heartbreaking pattern. Youngsters enter abandoned quarry pits, lakes, or water-filled craters seeking relief from the heat, only for some never to return home. After every tragedy, authorities announce safety drives, inspections, warning boards, and awareness campaigns. Yet, the accidents continue with disturbing regularity.
The latest initiative to improve safety around quarry pits and lakes is necessary, but it also raises an uncomfortable question: why does action usually come only after lives are lost?
Across Goa, several abandoned quarries remain open, unfenced, and poorly monitored despite repeated drowning incidents over the years. These locations are not hidden deep inside forests. Many are easily accessible to the public, especially to local youth and tourists unaware of the dangers beneath calm looking waters. Quarry pits are deceptive. Their depth is uneven, underwater rocks are dangerous, and sudden drops can trap even confident swimmers within seconds.
Warning signboards alone will not solve the problem. Most victims are aware that such places are risky, but the absence of proper barriers and enforcement encourages reckless behaviour. In many cases, these abandoned sites have virtually become unofficial picnic and swimming spots because authorities have failed to secure them properly.
The responsibility cannot rest only with the government. Quarry owners who abandon sites without adequate safety measures must also be held accountable. Local bodies, police, disaster management authorities, and panchayats need to work together instead of responding only after tragedies dominate headlines.
Goa promotes itself as a global tourist destination, but public safety cannot remain seasonal or reactionary. Every dangerous quarry and water body should be scientifically mapped, fenced, monitored, and regularly inspected before the monsoon arrives. Schools and colleges must also conduct awareness programmes warning students about the risks of swimming in abandoned pits and lakes.
Most importantly, safety cannot become an exercise in paperwork. Circulars and meetings may create the appearance of action, but they mean little if hazardous sites continue to remain open and unattended. The value of human life cannot be measured only after a drowning takes place.
Goa does not need another tragedy to realise that these quarry pits are silent death traps hidden in plain sight. Real governance lies not in reacting to disasters, but in preventing them before another family loses a son, daughter, or friend to negligence that could have been avoided.
