Goa shuts down its beaches ahead of monsoon

Amid the ongoing curfew, which had led to severe restriction of public movement, Goa's beaches from Saturday have been formally closed for the public in wake of the impending monsoon.

According to the Indian Meteorological Department, the south west monsoon is likely to hit the coast of Goa within the next 24-48 hours.

"With moderate to heavy rains expected to lash various parts of Goa over the next few days, people are instructed not to venture into the sea during the monsoon months extending from June till the end of September," according to an advisory issued by Drishti Marine, a government appointed private lifeguard agency.

“Pre-monsoon showers have already hit Goa. Over the past few days light showers were witnessed along the coastal stretch. We have put up red flags at all the beaches which means that the area is not meant for swimming. Curfew is currently still on in Goa, so we advise visitors not to venture onto the beach. Even wading into the waters is not advisable. Our team of lifesavers present along the coast are monitoring the weather conditions. The team is trained to carry out rescues even in rough weather," Navin Awasthi, Operations Head of Drishti Marine said.

Every year, with the advent of the monsoon, the state government, through the life guard agency orders the closure of beaches and all water sports activity till the departure of the monsoon, which renders the sea water choppy and therefore unsafe for swimming.

Pre-monsoon showers have already commenced in the state earlier this week with light showers witnessed across Goa on Saturday.

"After the recent Cyclone Tauktae the sea profile near the beaches has changed resulting in more areas where rip currents are observed. These rip currents can pull a person inside the sea making it difficult to swim," Drishti Marine also said in its advisory.

Drishti Marine has also advised visitors to avoid rocky areas, cliffs and hills on the shoreline.

"These are very slippery during monsoon season and also wave height, intensity and frequencies are very high and one can easily get washed out. All rocky areas around the fort areas in Anjuna, Vagator and Tiracol are out of bounds during monsoon," the advisory said.