MAPUSA
The Rs 7-crore maintenance dredging project at the mouth of River Chapora has landed before the National Green Tribunal (NGT), with a local resident challenging the clearance on the ground that it threatens protected turtle nesting sites and was approved without an Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA).
Hearing the matter on Thursday, the Western Zone Bench comprising Justice Dinesh Kumar Singh (Judicial Member) and Dr Sujit Kumar Bajpayee (Expert Member) took note of the challenge to the Goa Coastal Zone Management Authority’s (GCZMA) NOC dated November 17, 2025.
The Tribunal directed the registry to number the appeal, filed with a 43-day delay, and list it for consideration on Friday. The plea for interim relief seeking to halt the work will also be taken up on Friday.
The NOC permits dredging subject to the condition that it should not affect turtle nesting sites and must be completed before the nesting season in consultation with the Forest Department.
Counsel for the appellant argued that the turtle nesting season runs from October to May, as recorded in the 2024 Sea Turtle Nesting and Habitat Management Plan and that dredging permission granted from December 29, 2025 overlaps with this period.
Morjim beach, located near the dredging site, is a designated nesting beach.
The Forest Department, in a letter dated June 27, 2025, had expressed apprehension that dredging could affect the stability of Morjim and Mandrem beaches and recommended that an EIA be conducted through a reputed institution.
However, the Captain of Ports Department reportedly stated that the dredging site is about 1 km from nesting areas and that sediment plumes are unlikely to disturb turtle activity.
The appellant contended that no EIA has been undertaken and that the approval overlooks the Forest Department’s concerns.
