I wish to express my utter disgust and disappointment on the state of our nation's beaches, specifically around peak holiday times. I visited a beach in Toco over the Carnival weekend which was rife with campers. As much as I don't understand the mystique in setting up makeshift lodging in the dark recesses of the beach for days on end, I do get that public spaces are for the use of, well, the public.
The problem I had when I arrived was the campers' blatant disregard for the environment. It was clear that respect for the land and general marine life preservation was not on the agenda for their weekend "pump." The sand was littered with bottle caps, bottles, cans, broken glass, cigarette butts and various snack wrappers instead of the coral and odd jellyfish one might expect to find on a North Coast beach.
Soft drink bottles ebbed and flowed onto the shore with every coming wave. I imagine these items were tossed away nonchalantly, like one might pitch a rogue piece of lint into the wind.
The "facilities" were equally shameful. There was one port-a-potty that I could see, presumably to be shared by the 20-plus camps present. Consequently, in the short 30 minutes I stayed there, I saw at least two or three people squatting in the open bushes, which made me shudder to think about the "aromas" that would soon pervade the space.
At the end of the day, my grievance is that if we cannot trust visitors to exercise moderately conscientious behaviour when camping (or beach-going or hiking or river-frolicking), then it is up to the relevant regional corporation to ensure these areas are kept clean and safe for all other patrons and because, of course, it is the right thing to do.
There were little to no bins, no signs discouraging littering, a lone lifeguard. If this beach in particular is known to be popular around holiday weekends, why not employ part-time staff to clean up every morning?
Is it right that I had to keep my eyes stuck to the ground in order to avoid stepping on sharp objects? Why not amp up the lifeguard numbers knowing there will be an increase in patrons, many drunken? Do we care so little about the environment and our fragile eco-systems that we can't put measures in place to preserve them? Measures as simple as bins? Do we care so little about tourism that we don't even strive to put on our "best face" in the peak seasons?
I am sure my words will fall on deaf ears, but I could not in good conscience stay silent on the matter. In general it would be nice if we collectively showed a little respect to the land, for ourselves and for our fellow man. But until then, the powers that be need to step up and show a little more love and care to the areas under their management.
Please. We need to do better.
A concerned citizen