The fate of around 46 lakh sqmts of Goa's pristine sand dunes hangs in balance with the survey conducted by the National Centre for Sustainable Coastal Management (NCSCM) Chennai excluding huge portions in comparison to the ground-truthing work by the expert committee of Goa Coastal Zone Management Authority. While the NCSCM survey figures showed an area of 29.35 lakh sqmts as sand dunes, the GCZMA data pegs it at 75.42 lakh sqmts.
The 46 lakh sqmts difference is huge by any yardstick and indicates that the Chennai-based research team has not done their work well. This raises suspicion over the ground-truthing survey work undertaken by them and exposes their unfamiliarity to the Goan coastline. The exclusion of such an expanse of sand dunes will have serious consequences for a State which takes pride in its coastal ecosystem and is very sensitive about it.While Goans are left to wonder how the NCSCM skipped the sand dunes, it is amply clear that justice is not done to this crucial exercise of making a coastal blueprint for the State. The Chennai-based agency will have to answer on the botched up plan, and at the same time dispel doubts of omission and commission, vested interests and any involvement of lobbies. Let's not forget, by not showing the sand dunes, the entire area could remain open to rampant activity giving yet another twist to the whole story.
Sand dunes act as the first line of defence against beach erosion while also acting like a barrier defending human habitation against seawater swells and high waves. After years of neglect, sand dunes have become the focus area in Goa recently. The expert committee of the GCZMA has recommended a sand dune management plan for their rejuvenation, nourishment and restoration while advocating a fair balance between development and the coastal environment.
Interestingly, the government, in a unique plan, perhaps the first in the country, announced sand dune parks at Morjim and Galgibaga last year, with thematic and interpretation centres to educate locals and tourists on the need to preserve sand dunes. The NCSCM survey deals a telling blow by attempting to wipe out chunks of sand dunes from the landscape.
In another shocker, the NCSCM has retained the "ports limits" despite the fiery opposition from the public, and against the assurances given by the government. If we may recall, the demarcation of "ports limits" in the draft plan led to a huge public outcry with people unanimously demanding it to be dropped because of conflicting jurisdiction and ownership issues. Coastal Goa was on the boil because "port limits" gives sweeping powers of the port to an extent that it supersedes local government's authority over it.
One wonders how the NCSCM works against the directives of the GCZMA and the interests of the State. While the National Coastal Zone Management Authority (NCZMA), the central authority, has been asked to drop the demarcation, there is no clarity yet on which direction the plan will go. Time is running out with the December-end deadline knocking, and Goans will have to do now is keep their fingers crossed and wait anxiously till the final plan is out.
