PANAJI: The Goa Coastal Zone Management Authority (GCZMA) has approved the beach-carrying capacity report and the sand dune mapping for implementation.
The report submitted by the National Centre for Sustainable Coastal Management (NCSCM) has recommended that only 33 per cent of the beach area can be made available for erection of shacks after deducting the ecologically sensitive areas, river mouth, creeks, fishing space and buffer area at entry points.
The expert members of the GCZMA have observed that the report has recommended comprehensive guiding principles for various tourism-related activities that take place on the beach stretches which will be implemented. After due deliberation, the Authority approved the report in its 134th meeting held last month. The Authority has noted that as far as erection of temporary seasonal structures in private properties is concerned, the NCSCM guidelines will be followed while allowing permission for such activities. The NCSCM has proposed criteria for erection of shacks, huts, cottages, tents on private lands. It has stated that the applicant should possess not less than 100 square metres of land and no such structures shall be permitted in properties, which do not have road access.
The Authority has also decided to make its approval a must for water sports operators to erect water sport kiosks and temporary sheds to store water sport equipment on beaches. It has also made it mandatory for the registration of temporary beach shacks and huts put up between September and May in private properties.
The study suggests the state government to not open non-commercial beach stretches for allotment of shacks and states that the government should restrict the number of shacks as provided in the Tourism Policy 2013-16 and adopted for the year 2016-19. The report has further recommended that the beach wedding and other events in ecologically sensitive areas (ESA) should not be allowed. However, such events could be permitted in other areas including private areas based on a case-to-case basis with prior permission of the GCZMA.
The report has recommended geo-coding of all shacks and huts/tents/cottages in private areas which needs to be undertaken by the GCZMA through any expert organisation in order to monitor the area occupied by such structures.
The scientific team of NCSCM has strongly recommended that the state government identify government-owned land, private land or any other land belonging to institutions like communidade for organising events.
However, the conditions on usage of eco-friendly materials for erecting temporary structures, which were enforced on beach shacks, have remained the same for private shacks for the use of bamboos, wooden poles with thatched palm leaves, thatched bamboo mat roofing as far as possible. But in case of paucity of wood, other modern materials like synthetic, steel, nylon fabric could be used but not exceeding 30 per cent of the total material used.
The report has asked the GCZMA to consider setting up of adequately-covered transfer stations for temporary storage of solid waste near vicinity of the beaches for better management of solid waste. It has also suggested initiating an exercise for identification, mapping and evaluation of commercial areas within 200 metres in CRZ areas as well as reviewing the carrying capacity in five years.