Panaji, Aug 1 (PTI) The Goa government has initiated a series of coastal protection measures, including the possible implementation of advanced “sand motor technology”, to address severe beach erosion at Arambol in Pernem taluka, Environment Minister Aleixo Sequeira said in the Assembly on Friday.
Responding to a calling attention motion tabled by MLA Kedar Naik, the minister said the Department of Environment and Climate Change is working with multiple national and international agencies to assess and mitigate the impact of heavy monsoons that have caused large-scale sand loss, threatening local ecosystems, fishermen and tourism.
“A major intervention under consideration is the use of beach nourishment and sand motor techniques as a sustainable alternative to hard coastal structures like seawalls and groynes. For this, Goa has partnered with Deltares, a Netherlands-based institute specialising in hydraulic engineering, to conduct detailed feasibility studies,” he informed the House.
The Water Resources Department has completed a comprehensive shoreline study under National Hydrology Project titled ‘Integrated River Basin and Shoreline Management Plan for Goa’, which was conducted by NIOT from July 2020 to February 2025, the minister said.
Sequeira said the government has finalised plans for khazan land, mangroves, and turtle nesting management, and is also preparing a comprehensive plan for fishing communities.
“The CSIR-National Institute of Oceanography has been engaged to draft an Ecologically Sensitive Areas (ESA) Management Plan, covering habitats such as coral reefs, mudflats, salt marshes, and marine protected zones,” Naik said. PTI RPS BNM
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