Rising water at Morjim dilutes shack profits (ToI)

Keshav Naik,TNN | Jan 7, 2014, 02.29 AM IST MAPUSA: Shack owners in Vithaldaswada and Tembwada in Morjim have claimed that sea water entering their shacks is causing them heavy losses. The water level in the North Goa beach has been rising since January 2 and even entered the kitchens of two shacks at Tembwada. Shack owners Albert Mascarenhas, Pravin Dhumaskar and Nandakishor Morje claimed to have suffered losses amounting to lakhs of rupees when sea water entered their shacks at high tide. Not only were goods in the kitchen damaged, but two refrigerators belonging to Dhumaskar went under the water. "The water entered the shack first time on January 2 at about 8am and the shack was flooded till 2pm. Guests were reluctant to enter the shack resulting in loss of business during the peak tourist season," Mascarenhas said. Sources said water also entered the shacks for the fourth consecutive day on Monday. Locals and shack owners are annoyed that tourism department was not bothered to look into their woes which they say are primarily because of faulty location of the shacks. This year tourism department allotted 11 shacks in Morjim-2 at Tembwada and 9 at Vithaldaswada-and had marked the places where the shacks were to be erected. Local had raised apprehensions that the allotment was not proper and had objected to allotment of shacks close to private shacks fearing that shacks on public property will negatively affect business of private shack owners. Some shack owners in Vithaldaswada have erected wooden platforms and built their shacks on those. Local shack owners say that it costs around Rs 1.5 lakh to build a wooden platform which is not feasible for small local investors. Shack owners have demanded that from next year there should be proper allocation of areas for shacks. This is not the first time that Morjim has faced the wrath of nature. During the last monsoon sea levels had risen higher than usual and water had entered fishing huts, sweeping away canoes and boats, severely hitting about 20 traditional fishermen. Six fishing huts with fishing canoes, motors and nets were reduced to ashes in a fire at Vithaldaswada very recently. http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/goa/Rising-water-at-Morjim-dilutes-shack-profits/articleshow/28488074.cms