Over the past few days, tarballs have washed up along many South Goa beaches. But don't panic, says the state government, it happens every year.

These days, vast stretches of the beaches are covered with thick oil washed ashore in the form of tarballs. Worried that the black beaches may affect tourism, the state government insists this is not an unusual phenomenon.

"I don't agree this is a disaster. This has been happening year after year and is a natural phenomenon. Please let us not blow this out of proportion as Goa depends on tourism," Alex Sequeira, Goa Environment Minister, said.