Apart from beaches and the sea, Goa is also home to the majestic Dudhsagar Waterfalls. As travel restrictions are slowly being loosened, hordes of people are expected to visit the falls. The latest news suggests that many adventure companies from Karnataka have booked people for trekking to the waterfalls this weekend and very soon, jeep safaris will also open.
The way to Goa&rsquos Dudhsagar Falls can only be accessed by trekking on the railway tracks which takes you through fresh water streams in the jungle. Reports indicate that various hotels and trekking groups in Collem are offering packages for the rest of September. Government tour operators from Collem have already begun jungle treks to Tamdi Surla Falls and Dudhsagar. This will continue till October 1 as jeep safaris are scheduled from October 2 when the trekking packages will come to a halt. A hotelier in Collem said that nearly 10,000 people went to the waterfalls in 2019 within a period of a few weeks, most were from Mumbai and Bengaluru.
Which brings us to this important issue how good is that kind of overtourism for a vulnerable ecological area like the Ghats
According to media reports, Goa is set to lose around 55,000 trees and 185 hectares of pristine Western Ghats forest cover for three projects - a highway, railway line double-tracking and a new power line. And the area around Dudhsagar will be impacted as well. You can read more about it here and here.
The pandemic was nature's way of indicating that environmental damage has reached a brink. We are standing on the edge. Question is, do you want to jump or do you want to pull back and rethink tourism
Read 2020, A Warning