WhatsApp Being Used by Goa Tourism Department to Help Keep Beaches Clean

Fed up of garbage on Goa's beaches? Well, very soon you will be able to WhatsApp photos of the filth to the Tourism Department and expect a prompt sweep up.

"The initiative will be rolled out soon," a senior Tourism Department official told IANS on Tuesday, after a review meeting on cleanliness and hygiene on the state's beaches, which attracts over four million tourists every year.

"The general public can inform via WhatsApp locations where waste is strewn or piled up and the designated contractor will take corrective measures within 24 hours and report to the Department of Tourism on the same," the official said.

"The WhatsApp number will be announced shortly, which the general public can use to connect with the arrangement made by the department for cleaning of beaches in the state," the official added.

Goa Tourism Development Corporation Chairman Nilesh Cabral also said that one of the key priorities of the Bharatiya Janata Party-led coalition government was to install changing rooms and toilets on all major beaches in the state.

"Tourists will soon be able to use these facilities on all major beaches. This will help improve their experiences on our beaches," Cabral said.

Goa is considered one of the top beach tourism destinations in the country and is popular with both domestic as well as international tourists. Due to large volumes of tourists, however, garbage accumulation on its beaches has been a source of concern over the years.