'Goa is vulnerable to sea-level rise'

PANAJI: Goa’s massive biodiversity and topographic attributes, including a long coastline, make it vulnerable to climate change, notably sealevel rise, said eminent climate scientist and Nobel laureate R K Pachauri in Panaji on Wednesday.
Delivering the keynote address at the fourth Vasudeva VSinai Dempo memorial lecture on ‘Restoring respect for nature in economic development’, Pachauri pointed to the flash floods in Canacona in 2009 as an implication of climate change.
“Goa is sensitive to sealevel rise, one doesn’t have to wait for total submergence to realize the gravity of the situation. Groundwater contamination by salt water intrusion in Goa can be one of the dangers in the state,” said Pachauri. He stressed that Goa should start a model to sustain its ecology. “Goa is a fragile coastal state subject to tourism, mining, shipping, which leads to negative externalities and has its tangible and visible results. Even a small hotel has its impacts on a large scale and is not just confined to the area at which it is situated.
For this zoning laws must be enforced strictly,” he said. He suggested that consumption of water be regulated, buildings be given permission only if solar water heaters are installed and building materials are energy intensive. Spread the message of climate change through school children, he said.