MARGA0
A two-day national workshop on Capacity Building for Erosion Study got underway on Monday, with the government expressing serious concern over beach erosion, saying erosion is not only affecting the beaches but is also affecting the landward side.
Environment Minister Aleixo Sequeira, in his inaugural address, asserted that arresting beach erosion is the need of the hour, raising fears that if saline water gets ingressed towards the landward side, it will have a cascading effect, adding, “There will be a time when we won’t even have fresh water to meet our daily needs.”
“Goa is well known for its sun, sand, and waters. We have been the first state to promote tourism by building infrastructure that can invite visitors from all around the globe. The beaches of Goa have been the major attraction for visitors from around the world who have been consistently visiting our state year after year. With the climatic changes we have experienced in the past one and a half decades, we have seen that the coastal stretches of our state are facing significant changes, such as the erosion of sand,” Sequeira said.
The workshop is organised by the Goa government, Department of Environment and Climate Change in collaboration with Netherlands-based company Deltares.
“The Department of Environment has taken up the uphill task of getting in touch with an institute of repute, which is present today from the Netherlands, and is well-versed in ways and means to replenish the eroded beaches. Our delegation, which visited the Netherlands, has also witnessed beaches that have been replenished by the institute, and in collaborative efforts with this institute, I see a bright new hope and future for the coastal villages of our state,” Sequeira added.
He further said that the national workshop, attended by a host of well-known scientific institutes from across the country as well as from various other coastal states, will benefit from the methodology we seek to apply in our state, which can thereafter be replicated by other coastal states.
Secretary of Environment, Sarpreet Singh Gill, and Director of Environment and Climate Change, Johnsson Fernandes, also addressed the workshop.
NIO Director sounds a word of caution
In his keynote address, Director of CSIR-National Institute of Oceanography, Goa, Dr Sunil Kumar Singh, said that beach or coastal erosion is indeed a matter of concern, particularly in Goa, which has a coastline of 105 km, of which about 70 km comprises a sandy beach belt.
He, however, cautioned that the solution for beach erosion ought to be a Goa-based solution, factoring in local conditions before coming up with a solution.
“What we need is a very systematic study to know what is happening and the root causes of beach erosion. We have to take things in totality. Rocks and boulders will impact the biodiversity of the area and the people dependent on their livelihoods. We have to exercise caution; the solution that is good for one country may not be good for another country or Goa,” he added.
