Goemkarponn desk
PANAJI: Tourism Minister Rohan Khaunte has requested Goans to stay clear of water bodies during the monsoons.
“Requesting My Fellow Goans to stay clear of water bodies and dissuade Youngsters and Children from risky attempts at swimming in treacherous waters. Let’s Spread Awareness and Save Precious Lives,” said Khaunte.
The Forest department of Goa has banned the entry of people to waterfalls within wildlife sanctuaries after two people lost their lives in South Goa.
In an order issued on Tuesday evening, chief wildlife warden Umakant prohibited the entry of people inside “all wildlife sanctuaries and waterfalls until further orders” due to “continuous heavy rainfall in the state and high-water current rivers in forest areas”.
Picnickers throng waterfalls in Goa during monsoons. This year, social media was flooded with complaints of overcrowding and misbehaviour at popular waterfalls, prompting requests to the government and forest department to regulate entry into the sanctuaries, especially on weekends.
State forest minister Vishwajit Rane said the department will review the ban after ensuring it has a mechanism in place to regulate the flow of picnickers and tourists to the waterfalls.
