PANAJI: Goa lost 15 hectares of land along its coast in the decade from 2004-06 to 2014-16, a study by ISRO’s Space Applications Centre, Ahmedabad, has found. The survey also shows that Candolim – one of Goa’s most popular beaches among tourists – has lost a significant portion to erosion.
The study identified Candolim’s coast as the country’s ‘erosion hotspot’. The high rate of erosion has been attributed to the earlier grounding of the River Princess vessel off Candolim, which delayed the removal of the stranded vessel by several years.
The study was undertaken to quantify shoreline change along the coast of India using Indian remote sensing satellite imagery.
As pointed out by the researchers, coastal changes are a serious concern as a large population depends on coastal resources for their livelihood, such as the fishing and tourism sectors in Goa.
In addition to coastal erosion, studies have attempted to quantify land accretion or accretion due to coastal erosion. In the case of Goa, except that coastal erosion Out of a total of 15 hectares, the state has added the least amount to its coastal land due to coastal erosion. Deposits have been reported across only 7 km of coastline.
The good news for the state is that Goa has the most stable coast among the four states and union territories, at 80%. 116.7km of Goa’s 145.6km coastline has been found stable.
The rocky coastal areas of Saurashtra, Maharashtra, Goa and North Karnataka make the coast more stable than the deltaic coastal environment of Andhra Pradesh, Odisha and West Bengal,” said researchers Rathesh R, Preeti Rajput, H Bhatti, AS Rajawat, and D Ram Razak.
Erosion in Goa extends 21.7 km.
Researchers warn that anthropogenic factors could accelerate the erosion of the country’s coastline.
“Coastal construction impedes natural coastal sediment transport, increasing shoreline change,” the study said.
According to the study, natural factors “likely to cause increased shoreline change in the near future” are projected sea-level rise, increased wave activity and projected increases in the frequency and intensity of tropical cyclones under climate change scenarios.
“Coastal migration of population is expected to increase by 2100, which may further increase pressure on coastal zones. With more than 26% of the total population living in coastal zones, India is classified as one of the highest coastal ecosystem regions. Value of service products for modified or semi-modified ecosystems, which in Indian coastal zones shows anthropogenic influence,” the report said.
The study identified Candolim’s coast as the country’s ‘erosion hotspot’. The high rate of erosion has been attributed to the earlier grounding of the River Princess vessel off Candolim, which delayed the removal of the stranded vessel by several years.
The study was undertaken to quantify shoreline change along the coast of India using Indian remote sensing satellite imagery.
As pointed out by the researchers, coastal changes are a serious concern as a large population depends on coastal resources for their livelihood, such as the fishing and tourism sectors in Goa.
In addition to coastal erosion, studies have attempted to quantify land accretion or accretion due to coastal erosion. In the case of Goa, except that coastal erosion Out of a total of 15 hectares, the state has added the least amount to its coastal land due to coastal erosion. Deposits have been reported across only 7 km of coastline.
The good news for the state is that Goa has the most stable coast among the four states and union territories, at 80%. 116.7km of Goa’s 145.6km coastline has been found stable.
The rocky coastal areas of Saurashtra, Maharashtra, Goa and North Karnataka make the coast more stable than the deltaic coastal environment of Andhra Pradesh, Odisha and West Bengal,” said researchers Rathesh R, Preeti Rajput, H Bhatti, AS Rajawat, and D Ram Razak.
Erosion in Goa extends 21.7 km.
Researchers warn that anthropogenic factors could accelerate the erosion of the country’s coastline.
“Coastal construction impedes natural coastal sediment transport, increasing shoreline change,” the study said.
According to the study, natural factors “likely to cause increased shoreline change in the near future” are projected sea-level rise, increased wave activity and projected increases in the frequency and intensity of tropical cyclones under climate change scenarios.
“Coastal migration of population is expected to increase by 2100, which may further increase pressure on coastal zones. With more than 26% of the total population living in coastal zones, India is classified as one of the highest coastal ecosystem regions. Value of service products for modified or semi-modified ecosystems, which in Indian coastal zones shows anthropogenic influence,” the report said.
