the goan I network
VASCO
Goenchea Raponkarancho Ekvott (GRE) has blamed the Water Resources Department (WRD) for not taking any mitigation measures to stop the recent massive erosion at Velsao, Arossim and Cansaulim beaches.
GRE has said that due to the massive erosion, the fishermen along the coastal areas like Velsao, Arossim and Cansaulim faced severe hardship and losses after their canoe landing sites, nets and huts were washed away into the sea.
GRE alleged that unregulated dredging done by Mormugao Port Trust (MPT) had affected the sandy beach of Velsao and demanded that the dredging at MPT be halted until WRD department led by WRD minister Filipe Neri Rodrigues conducts a proper study to find out exact the reason of sand erosion.
“The maintenance dredging carried at MPT is around 5 lakh cubic-millimeter (Mm3) sediment that is dredged every year. Due to this continuous large quantum, ecology of the region is destroyed and this has aggravated sand erosion. This is already evident on Khariwado, Siridao, Baina and Desstero beaches as the major part of the beach is already eroded and now this has adversely effected other beaches too including Velsao, Arossim, Cansaulim”, said GRE President Agnelo Rodrigues.
