Goemkarponn desk
PORVORIM: Minister for Water Resources Subhash Shirodkar today said that the state government has proposed to protect the eroded Coco beach for a length of 394m by providing concrete blocks revetment.
“It is proposed to protect the eroded Coco beach for a length of 394m by providing concrete blocks revetment, and accordingly, an estimate has been prepared for which Administrative Approval has been accorded,” said Shirodkar.
He further said that Coco beach had been severely eroded, and the rubble stone revetment along the coast was dilapidated.
“The work will commence after according to expenditure sanction,” he added.
Sand erosion has taken a heavy toll on Coco beach, with a considerable portion gobbled up by rough seas over the years. Locals claim that 25 per cent of the beach had got washed away when the tsunami struck in the year 2004.
Tourism Minister Rohan Khaunte has said that sea erosion has become a major threat to the tourism industry, which needs to be tackled with new concepts.
“There is the challenge of sea erosion. It is a threat (to the tourism industry) the way it is taking place. Beaches are getting washed out. We have permitted 346 shacks. However, they cannot occupy longer distance (in the permissible limit), as beaches have washed out,” Khaunte said during the ongoing Assembly session.
He said that it was very important to think about how we stop this sea erosion. “We can adopt technologies to ensure that we get our surface back. Techno-commercial concepts can be adopted with the help of the environment and other departments,” he said.
