Locals and fishermen across the South Goa coastal belt are worried of the irreparable damage caused to the coast due to the unprecedented soil erosion. They lamented that during the monsoon season, vast stretches of beaches here have been destroyed with the increasing high tide line as the sea water had literally covered the sand.
The fishermen have called on the government to study these developments and take proper measures to address the issues before it’s too late. President of Goemchea Ramponkarancho Ekvott (GRE) Agnelo Rodrigues expressed shock to see so much sand erosion and he further lamented that this is something the ancestors of the fishing community had never experienced before.
Rodrigues wondered what would happen during and post monsoon season given that the tidal conditions are also changing and warned that if authorities do not intervene now, then the water levels will rise up and could lead to flooding in the future. “It is a very serious matter and I have written to the Environment Minister and annexed photographs of the erosion that has taken place on Mobor beach and requested him to visit the site with experts so that they can see the ground reality and take corrective measures accordingly,” said Cavelossim Sarpanch Dixon Vaz.
Cavelossim Panch Jesus D’Costa, who is also a traditional fisherman, lamented that the sand erosion has been worsening year by year. “If the government does not take any steps, then the water can easily enter the village. The locals too are very concerned about so much erosion in recent times,” D’Costa added. In addition to adverse weather conditions and climate change, residents who live near the beach, namely Juidth Almeida of the Colva Civic and Consumer Forum (CCCF) believes that man-made destruction of sand dunes, which used to work as the last barrier against sand erosion has also led to the type of devastation that one can see today and they felt that the worst is yet to come.