Goa hotels to start ‘animal farms’ to gobble up garbage

IANS/Panaji

Star hotels and resorts in Goa could soon have cows and poultry to gobble up their garbage generated in-house.

Such “animal farms” operated by hotels is on the agenda of Francis Braganza, president of the Travel and Tourism Association of Goa (TTAG), who said if the government isn’t able to resolve the garbage crisis in Goa, the tourism industry should step in and take the problem head on.

“There is a lot of food waste that is generated in hotels. Starting dairies and poultry units could help in disposing of most of it. It will keep garbage off the roads,” Braganza said.

Goa is one of the favourite beach destinations in Asia, but over the last few years an astronomical increase in tourists and a stagnant infrastructure has resulted in chaos.

And the beach paradise’s grubby slip is beginning to show.

The state’s roads, beaches and water bodies are polluted by biodegradable and non-biodegradable waste.

And the mess is beginning to hurt Goa’s tourism interests with the state government unable to zero in on a site for a garbage waste disposal facility.

Goa’s Tourism Secretary Matthew Samuel believes that the state would take a beating if it takes tourist inflow for granted. The numbers are already telling the story, according to Samuel.