PANAJI
The World Bank has expressed its desire to implement its project ‘SHORE’ in Goa to help the coastal State in shoreline management, restoration and conservation of ecosystems like sand dunes, wetlands and mangroves along with proposing nature based solutions to address the issue of erosion.
The World Bank-aided project, worth one billion dollars, that covers all the Indian coastal States and Union Territories aims at increasing climate resilience, enhancing ecosystem services, improving livelihood and reducing marine pollution.
The World Bank Blue Economy Team recently held a meeting with the officials of the Goa government including Environment Secretary Arun Kumar Mishra highlighting the concept of project ‘SHORE’- Strengthening Coastal Resilience and the Economy.
“The project considers an integrated approach to building coastal resilience through multi-sectoral planning, institutional strengthening and prioritized investments to reduce coastal erosion, ecosystem degradation and pollution,” the World Bank said in their letter.
As part of the project, the States will have to undertake holistic shoreline planning and management with an emphasis on nature-based solutions to reduce long term risks.
The project will help States in preparing State-level Integrated Coastal Zone Management Plan. It will also lay focus on shoreline management and coastal protection like restoring and conserving ecosystems- sand dunes, wetlands and mangroves and also nature based solutions to address erosion.
The project speaks about investments in sectors like tourism, fisheries, aquaculture and infrastructure.
Sources said that the World Bank has asked State to prepare Detailed Project Reports (DPR) so that Goa could be included in Phase IV of the implementation.
The Phase I of the project includes States like Karnataka and Tamil Nadu, whose detailed project reports are already with the World Bank and in Phase II, Odisha and West Bengal would be funded. Their DPRs are in an advanced stage. In Phase III, the World Bank intends to support Gujarat and Pondicherry.
The project will support the coastal states to build convergence with the upcoming National Coastal Mission, National Blue Economy Policy and National marine Litter Policy.
