Goemkarponn desk
CANACONA – Heavy sand erosion has again hit Canacona Coast, threatening the tourism structures along the taluka coastline, as large chunks of sand washed away during high tide on Agonda beach shore.
Rampaging sea waves during High Tide on Sunday began to pound the beach Coast, particularly at the central location causing heavy sand erosion and virtually exposing the shoreline badly.
Presently sand is washed away, dangerously exposing the protection walls people have erected to safeguard their properties from wash-over. Locals fear the rest of the 2.9 km long beach Coast will be the next target of rough seas, causing further heavy sand erosions on the unprotected/unsecured coastline.
It may be recalled that Agonda beach shore, often in the news for demolition of illegal structures, has suffered badly after cyclonic winds had not only caused heavy sand erosion but many of the coastal tourism structures were destroyed after a hurricane type of cyclone Tauktae has hit the coast in in May last year.
Incidentally, the Agonda coast is still rallying under the severe devastation caused by Tauktae have battered the coastline last May and have still not reclaimed many of the sand dunes, besides the shore itself, along with coconut trees and other plantation (such as Casuarina trees) lost during the sea rampage than.
The Beach fauna, and particularly the sand dunes, which otherwise act as inland dunes, to serve as a protective barrier against cyclones and also help stabilise the beaches destroyed last May, is still missing on Agonda shore, even as some environmentalists blame mindless and reckless sand excavation as main causes of sand erosion constantly hitting the shore.
While residents blame the government for not safeguarding the battered Agonda coastline during Tauktae, some of the land owners have initiated measures to protect their sea-facing properties by erecting concrete protection walls.
According to reports, Goa’s Department of Water Resources statistics has identified 19 Goan beaches, including Agonda beach, that face the threat of erosion and reportedly looking at it as a threat to the tourism sector; experts have opined for immediate intervention. And also, including Agonda, beaches of Anjuna, Keri-Tiracol, Morjim, Betalbatim and Majorda as some of the top beaches facing immediate threat, were recommended for both short-term and long-term protection of Goa’s coastline plans.
