The excessive growth of visitors (pilgrims and tourists), overcrowding specific areas of Gokarna at seasonal peaks, imposing lasting changes – which finally threaten the local ecosystems, resources and culture – becomes unsustainable, and we are in need of sustainable tourism.
Now, sustainable tourism development requires the informed participation of all stakeholders, as well as strong qualified leadership to ensure wide participation and consensus building.
Achieving sustainable tourism is a continuous process that requires constant monitoring of its impacts, introducing the required preventive and/or corrective measures whenever necessary.
Sustainable tourism while providing a high level of satisfaction and ensuring a meaningful experience to the tourists, should raise their awareness about sustainability issues and promote sustainable practices amongst them.
Considering the tenacious growing difficulties related to management of wastes, that need to be urgently tackled before they irreversibly affect our bhumi, samudra, jala, vayu, and consequently our own health, Khushi Parisara proposes a meeting by the next week between the Presidents of the Unions of Main Beach, Kudle and Om Beach with Primary Health Care Officer to find the best strategic plan for a clean, peaceful and sustainable tourist season at Gokarna.
In 2019, Gram Sabha approved a Bylaw (attached) where are fixed some important points for a better waste management. It brings new settings for a shift and, more then to complain, it is definitely time to take consistent action to change the alarming waste situation at Gokarna.
It is time
· to put pressure on Gram Panchayat for a proper and regular waste collection (fixing when and where)
· to increase the sensitization of tourists about their responsibilities related to waste
· to organise regular beach clean-ups with tourists
Khushi Parisara suggestion for this meeting aspires to listen the diligent stakeholders difficulties, make them understood and support their actions to fulfil SWM Rules and Bylaw, facilitating their coordination and cooperation, at Zylla, Taluk and local level, providing specific tools tailored for the varied situations (such as required monitoring meetings, during & after season, multilingual flyers, signboards, posters, guidelines for tourists to follow, activating regular beach clean-ups, etc)
In view of our meeting with CEO by the end of the week, it would be wonderful if you/we can meet before in order to convey your difficulties, requests and share your commitments.
We hope that this time a noticeable change will take place and that you will be the first and most prominent actors of it!
With our best greetings,
11 November 2019
