the goan I network
MARGAO
As the coastal belt witnessed large scale sea erosion with rising waters inundating the beaches, beach shack owners only thanked the Almighty for saving them from huge losses and destruction of property.
Water sports operators, however, faced a torrid time as workers were seen pulling their vessels further onto the land, away from the rising sea water at Colva.
In fact, a tourism stakeholder remarked that the delay in the allotment of shacks indeed came as a blessing in disguise for the shack owners after the rough sea and cyclonic winds left behind a trail of sea erosion along the coast. “The shack owners would have been devastated had we erected the shacks by now. When we went out on the beach early morning, we only saw the sea water around and no beach. The shacks, if erected, would have been washed into the sea,” remarked Cruz Cardozo, President of the Shack Owners Society.
With bitter memories of the devastation of the beach shacks around two years still fresh in their minds, Cruz pointed out that the shack owners would have suffered massive destruction and losses by now. He, however, pointed out that the cyclonic winds and rising sea waters has left the beaches devastated along the coast. Hotelier Dixon Vaz said that nature’s fury was at work along the beach belt, adding that the delay in erecting the shacks turned out a blessing in disguise.
Meanwhile, the rising sea water virtually inundated the Salcete beach belt since late Thursday night, with the water receding back only around noon. At Colva beach, huge waves battered the coastline and the sea water had surrounded the lifeguard tower. Sources said retaining walls put up on the Sernabatim beach area gave in to the sea incursion.
One could see sand bags washed away into the sea at Benaulim with huge waves triggering sea erosion along the belt.
