PANAJI
The National Institute of Oceanography (NIO) has been asked to carry out a fresh assessment of the carrying capacity of Goa’s beaches and the government will take a call on carrying out similar study for the whole State after receiving the report, Environment Minister Aleixo Sequeira told the Goa Legislative assembly on Monday.
Sequeira said, the government has also identified a company from the Netherlands to rejuvenate the beaches affected by sea erosion.
“We have asked the External Affairs Ministry in Delhi to give us the go ahead so we can ink the MoU with this company,” Sequeira said while replying to the discussion on the demands for grants pertaining to the Environment and Climate Change, Law, Legislative Affairs and other departments under his charge.
Sequeira said, the government is sensitive to the ecological threat faced in the State and had formed the Climate Change Cell under which a ‘Sate Action Plan for Climate Change’ is being formulated.
The threat posed by rapid urbanisation to the environment will be factored in by the State Action Plan for Climate Change, he added.
EIAs for large projects
Sequeira said that the government has set up the Sate Environment Impact Assessment Authority (SEIAA) composed of experts which studies the EIA reports of large project proponents.
He said, EIA reports are mandatory for any project with more than 20,000 square meters built up area.
Noise pollution
Sequeira said the Goa State Pollution Control Board had set up ‘noise monitoring stations’ at over a dozen locations in the State including Calangute, Candolim, Vagator, Morjim, Arambol, Benaulim and Cavelossim. At Baga in Calangute, the station has not yet been set up because the board is awaiting an NOC from the GTDC for the site where it will be installed.
Protecting Khazan lands
The minister said, the Khazan Land Management Plan has been prepared by taking all the stakeholders into confidence and the government is also serious about reviving the salt pans of Goa in a big way, Sequeira said. He also said, that at least another 10 more wetlands will be notified within the next one month.
‘CZMP 2019 to be a step-up of 2011 plan’
Environment Minister Aleixo Sequeira said, Goa had gone about preparing the Coastal Zone Management Plan, 2011 diligently and was the only State to have prepared the maps on a 1:4,000 scale.
The minister however said that when the maps were received it was realised that they do not match and conform to the State’s Cadestal maps and therefore needed some corrections.
“We are expecting to receive these maps from NCSCM. Chennai very soon,” he said, adding that the exercise of preparation of the CZMP 2019 will only be in the nature of upgrading the CZMP 2011.
