MARGAO
The iconic Colva beach has been battered by huge waves in the last two days, eroding a stretch of the beach belt, with the sea making incursions, just metres away from the coconut grove area.
The sea incursion was clearly visible as the huge waves and rising waters hit the coast in the last two days, close to two months when the coast was battered by waves and erosions during Tauktae cyclone.
An embankment near the area gave way as evident by the loose laterite stones all strewn on the beach.
When The Goan team descended at Colva on Tuesday noon, the rising sea water and waves had hit the shore, making deep incursions.
A local fisherman told The Goan that the beach stretch was hit by waves around 2-3 days ago and the adverse sea and weather conditions have come to batter the coast again on Tuesday. “We had witnessed erosion of the beach stretch after Cyclone Tauktae left a trail of destruction around two months ago. I can say the rough sea and the rising waters have hit the beach again. There’s substantial erosion caused by the rising waters in the last 2-3 days,” the fishermen added.
Fishermen from Colva had to bear the brunt of the Cyclone Tauktae after their structures were left damaged by the strong winds, causing huge losses.
Colva-based activist Judith Almeida who sounded a word of caution to the authorities involved in the preparation of the Coastal Zone Management Plan, repeated her warning “instead of bulldozing with the plan, the authorities should go for a holistic and comprehensive plan to protect the coast and the coastal communities”.
