NT NETWORK
COLVA
Despite adopting several anti-sand erosion measures, Salcete beaches have taken a severe beating from the sea fury with Colva, Betalbatim and Sernabatim beaches being the worst hit.
Nearly 20 per cent of the state’s 105-km coastline has been affected by the sand erosion even as over Rs 1.16 crore was spent to protect the beaches from further erosion through funding from the World Bank and the Union government.
An official of Water Resources Department requesting anonymity, informed that the sand on the beaches normally gets washed away during monsoon, but beaches get restored again in September and October. However, with the preparation for the tourist season also coinciding with the beach formation, the natural phenomenon gets disturbed and the beaches do not get restored properly. He said that over the years, there has been rampant destruction of the sand dunes, and the encroachment along the high tide line is the primary reason for the erosion of beaches.
Though the Water Resources Department had reinforced the Betalbatim beach with cement gabions to prevent sand erosion, the waves have breached the protective layer and caused widespread erosion.
In Colva too, the waves have taken a heavy toll on the beach resulting in widespread sand erosion while the case is no different in Sernabatim which is also facing the brunt due to widespread encroachments on the beach.
Local fisherman C Fernandes informed that during monsoon the coast faces tidal erosion as the saline water combines with the monsoon water eroding the beaches.
Sources informed that mangroves, sand dunes and salt pans play pivotal role in preventing erosion. But over the years, the mangroves and sand dunes have been destroyed in the name of development while saltpans have borne the brunt of the booming real estate in the state.
