CANACONA
The famed seashore at Palolem disappeared on Thursday as the rough sea pounded the coastline and damaged several seaside properties.
The incident at about 11 am left locals stunned to see the coastline submerged under seawater and worried as the retaining walls could offer no resistance to the rampaging waves.
Locals in Palolem quickly took to social media to relay the ‘breaking news’ that the world-famous Palolem beach had submerged and vanished under water, with massive damage to the coast.
Owners of seaside properties stared helplessly at the rising waves pounding the coastline and causing heavy sand erosion. The retaining walls they had erected to safeguard their properties simply crumbled and got washed away into the sea.
According to sources, the high tide on Thursday rose to a height of 2.2 metres (7.22 ft), while the first high tide of the day is expected to rise further to 2.25 metres height on Friday.
Some people, however, claimed that the incident was a man-made disaster, after claiming that large-scale sand excavation on the beach had caused the sea to wreak havoc on the coastal structures.
“It's high time that we do something. If we don't learn today, we will never act,” said Socorro Da Silva, a resident of Palolem.
People also called on both councillors of Palolem-I and Palolem-II to take a stand and make people aware of the adverse effects of sand extraction.
