Goa needs to sweep itself clean, literally

Reports in the media state that Cutbona fishing jetty is battling a dengue and cholera outbreak, which led to the chief minister visiting the Cutbona jetty and announcing a compensation of Rs 10 lakh for the families of each of the deceased, of which Rs 5 lakh will be paid by the boat owner, and the other Rs 5 lakh by the government.

A day before the visit, the chief minister had directed the Fisheries Department to maintain hygiene at the fishing jetties.

But, on the day he visited the jetty, he directed that the labourers living in huts on the Cutbona jetty be vacated within eight days, and that the old, unused boats be removed, evaluated and sold.

All commendable decisions, but while, the loss of lives is mourned and the government’s quick action admired, as a civilised society, shouldn’t we also ask ourselves whether there had to be deaths of fishing boat workers for the government to act?

Are the boat owners only looking at the profit margins that they have become so immune to the squalor in which their workers live?

Dengue and cholera are a result of lack of hygiene. While dengue is caused by mosquitoes that breed in stagnant water, cholera is caused by ingestion of contaminated food or water.

What, then, does this say about the hygienic conditions at the jetties, just a month after the fishing ban was lifted? What also does it say of the condition in which the workers of the fishing boats live?

Isn’t it the responsibility of the fishing boat owners to ensure that their workers are living in hygienic conditions? That they have the basic hygiene in place for them?

The authorities – the State as well as the local jetty associations – had the two months of June and July to spruce up the jetties and have them ready for the new fishing season.

The 61-day break in the fishing season should be utilised to undertake repairs, cleanliness and refurbishment works that are not possible during the season.

Was that done? The answer is obviously in the negative. The dengue and cholera outbreaks indicate as much.

Dengue has been prevalent over the past weeks not just in Cutbona, but in other areas of Goa, but timely medical intervention has ensured that there have been no deaths.

The fishing boat workers of Cutbona did not receive that medical assistance, whether it was for dengue or cholera.

Why? Shouldn’t the boat owners who employ the workers ensure that medical facilities are available for them?

The government’s decision to make the boat owners pay half the amount of the compensation is commendable.

It should now mandate that employers, not just those who own fishing boats, but all employers, ensure that their employees have the basic facilities, especially those who employ migrants who come to Goa expressly to earn a living.

Individuals running businesses should not only be looking at the balance sheets, but also at the manner in which the accounts are balanced, and that includes ensuring that their employees have the necessary facilities.

In the case of the fishing boat workers, surely the boat owners should have been a little more responsive to the health of their workers and the conditions they live in.

While the dengue and cholera outbreaks may appear localised, they bring into focus the living conditions of the migrant workers in Goa, as well as the healthcare facilities across the State.

It is also a blot on Goa that it allowed the fishing boat workers to live in such squalor and that it required the chief minister’s intervention to clean up the jetties.

Can those living in urban Goa imagine the conditions in which these workers lived? This is surely not the best side of Goa that it would want to show the world, especially when it advertises itself as a favoured holiday destination.

Yet, Cutbona jetty is just across the river from where some of Goa’s most highly rated starred hotels exist. Is that a tourism-worthy picture?