PANAJI
The Goa Coastal and Environment Management Society under the Goa government will attempt to replicate the success of a Dutch model of preventing sand erosion along Goa’s coasts via a technique known as the De Zand Motor (The Sand Motor).
According to State Environment Minister Nilesh Cabral, the Society has initiated the process for nourishment of beach stretches (Sand Motor) with an agency from the Netherlands and requested the expert Scientists to visit Goa for the preliminary study.
“This work will be carried out in collaboration with National Institute of Oceanography (NIO) and National Centre for Coastal Research (NCCR),” the Minister said.
The Goa government has reached out to Deltares, a Netherlands based independent knowledge institute that works on innovative solutions in the field of water and subsurface.
The technique involves heaping fresh sand usually brought from the deep sea and creating an artificial peninsula along the coast and then allowing the natural movement of wave and sea currents and wind to move the sand along the eroded portions of the beaches.
The technique was successfully implemented in the Netherlands when in 2011 a large peninsula was constructed off the coast near The Hague, using 21.5 million cubic metres of sand.
According to the agency, this artificial sand bank was created following the principles of Building with Nature: ocean currents, wind and waves are gradually spreading the sand along the coast and into the dunes. The aim is to reinforce the coastline in the long term and to create an attractive area for leisure and nature.
The Sand Motor is a unique experiment, because it works with water, instead of against it. Depositing a large amount of sand in one go prevents the repeated disturbance of the seabed. Nature then distributes the sand to the right places for us, the agency said.
In June this year, state environment director Sneha Gitte wrote to Deltares requesting the agency to "convey a suitable date along with the name of scientist for a study visit to Goa to assess the possibility of implementing the sand motor technology to control erosion in Goa.
Earlier the village panchayat of Cavelossim had written to the Environment Department seeking a solution to the sand erosion problem that the village was facing an problem of unprecedented sand erosion.
The sand motor was constructed in the Netherlands with an aim of gaining experience with innovative nourishments that combine recreational, natural and coastal maintenance functions and strengthen the coast.
The experiment proved to be hugely successful in the Netherlands helping to increase the recreational area on the beach, spur the development of sand dunes and beach vegetation as well as help restore the coast.
