Since Tauktae, erosion continues to plague Canacona’s coastline

Canacona: The Canacona coast in South Goa has faced continuous sand erosion this monsoon, threatening shacks and structure. While large chunks of sand along the Agonda shore got washed away during high tide, some damage was also noticed at Khola, Palolem, Patnem-Colomb, Galgibaga, Polem and Talpona beaches, fishermen told TOI.

Protective and retaining walls erected by private establishments to safeguard their properties from being washed away have been dangerously exposed.

Cyclone Tauktae, which hit Goa in May 2021, has caused heavy sand erosion along Agonda coastline and had destroyed many of the beach structures. Beach flora and sand dunes, which otherwise act as protective barriers, were destroyed. These are still missing at Agonda even as some environmentalists say mindless sand excavation is responsible for sand erosion.

While residents blame authorities for not safeguarding the Agonda coastline during Tauktae, some landowners have erected concrete walls for their sea-facing properties.

Chief engineer, water resources department (WRD), Pramod Badami, said they are keeping a watch on large-scale sand erosion and the battered coastline. He said the team is studying devastation patterns of at least five years and will act accordingly. He added that experts in Pune will visit Goa after Ganesh Chaturti to survey the coastline before suggesting solutions.

Major erosion has been noticed along the coastlines of Galgibaga, Talpona, Rajbagh, Patnem, Palolem, Agonda and Khola. Local fishermen say that these beaches are yet to be stabilised and have been inspected by Canacona officials. They also said that many structures close to the shore and fishing boats had been damaged.

While the turtle nesting site at Agonda got submerged, the Galgibaga turtle nesting site came dangerously close to being submerged as well. The sand bar between Galgibaga river and Arabian Sea saw more of its sand getting eroded causing the water to rise by more than half a meter.