A year ago, some of us were aghast with what happened in Vagator; the cliff was disfigured. We identified similar incidents at Anjuna, Ozrant and Cola. In the recent incident at Baga, yet another sea cliff has been badly mutilated due to cutting of rock faces and excavation at its base, a gross violation rarely witnessed before.
The Baga cliff is somewhat semi-circular. All round the coast, hard metamorphic rocks such as quartzite and dipping meta grey wackes are exposed along the base, at sea level. An intrusive dolerite dyke is also identified. At low tide, a wide strip of rocky shore is exposed. A large amount of lateritic boulders are scattered all along the sea front, along the High Tide Line (HTL).
A geological section from the base towards the top of the cliff indicates large lithological and compositional variations: (a) From the base (sea level), dark grey coloured quartzites are identified up to around 5-8 meters, (b) softer lateritic and pinkish clayey material is observed above the hard base rocks, (c) loose, fractured and partially weathered hard rocky material is interspersed within the lateritic clay. In brief, although the base rock is very hard and compact, the section above is soft and permeable. It is the top lithological section that makes the cliff particularly vulnerable to landslides.
Haphazard human interference was identified from / along the northern bank of Baga creek towards the sea: (i) A concrete sea wall is found first, in front of the chapel (ii)Towards the mouth of the creek, a rubble – concrete sea wall, about a meter in width, existed earlier; this embankment has been / was being demolished, (iii) A new concrete sea wall was under construction at sea level, (iv)Further upward at mid-slope, the existing path has been widened by brutally cutting the face of the hillock; a vertical section can now be identified,(v) loose mud is dumped down slope, (vi) An earth mover was parked at the site; cement bags, road metal and construction material was also noted at the site.
In Section 3 of CRZ 2011 rules, prohibited activities within CRZ include : (iv) Land reclamation, bunding or disturbing the natural course of seawater…….. except (b) measures for control of erosion, based on scientific Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) studies; (ix) Reclamation for commercial purposes such as shopping and housing complexes, hotels and entertainment activities; (xiii) Dressing or altering the sand dunes, hills, natural features including landscape changes for beautification, recreation and other such purpose. Similarly, under the Notification, area up to 200 meters from HTL on the landward side in case of seafront is to be earmarked as “No Development Zone (NDZ). No construction shall be permitted within NDZ except for repairs or reconstruction of existing authorized structures. Obviously, this unwarranted feat has violated several provisions of CRZ rules.
The CRZ 2011 Notification nevertheless permits several activities such as roads exclusively for community purposes and which are required for the local inhabitants, on a case to case basis. In this case, there is no justification whatsoever neither for a road nor a pathway since there are no local inhabitants residing across the Baga cliff.
The impact of sea walls on the coast has been globally documented in detail. Scientific literature has proved beyond doubt that sea walls exacerbate erosive processes, beaches in front get narrower, sand vanishes over time, and the area gets deeper. Sea walls thus lead to a complete modification in coastal morphology.
Essentially an interface between land and water, a riparian buffer zone plays a significant role in soil conservation and hence environmental management. Unwarranted and irreparable topographical and landscape alterations can adversely impact micro habitat of many faunal assemblages, create permanent loss of natural shoreline diversity, loss of floral assortment during excavation, disturbance to the avian refuge (potential roosting and nesting site for birds), and impact on shoreline fisheries. As such, concretization of the area would not only aggravate erosion but also lead to the destruction of the riparian biodiversity. These parameters have been ignored.
The Baga hillock is a vulnerable cliff as evidenced by occasional landslides that have occurred along the cliff section over the years. The kind of interference noted along the face of the cliff has provoked instability of the hillock. This aspect needs urgent attention from a scientific viewpoint.
The Retreat House is located atop the cliff. This structure appears to have undergone minor modifications over the years. A retaining wall, about 1.5 meters in height, is constructed around the residences. As seen from below(sea side), this wall has its foundations at the edge of the precipice, with no proper support at its foundations. Considering the weight of such a wall at the edge of a steep, and hence vulnerable hillock, the very existence of this boundary wall is at risk. As such, (a) This part of the building will have to be monitored continuously, particularly during the ensuing monsoon, (b) It would be wise to even consider “relocation” of buildings to a safer distance from the edge of the precipice.
It is certain that the loose mud piled up along the pathway is bound to flow into the sea following a heavy downpour. Such an erosive process will eventually cut narrow gorges down slope resulting in a completely unstable hill slope.
As a short term measure, it is suggested that the cliff faces which are cut vertically may be fortified with laterite stone masonry. A double stone wall, not more than 1.2 meters in height, may save some property during monsoon.
Considering that a 70 year old heritage building is located at the summit, it is strongly recommended that a detailed scientific study be conducted by a competent organization such as the Geological Survey of India (GSI) to assess the long term stability of the hillock from a geological and geotechnical perspective. It is suggested that the erstwhile pathway may be restored in an eco-friendly manner, and could be designated as a “Nature trail”, most ideally suited for geological excursions.
In view of the above, (1) No prior approvals are obtained for the construction of the sea wall, (2) The need for such a concrete wall is not justified as the coast is composed of hard quartzite, a rock that is resistant to erosion, (3) Cutting of a sea cliff that is already prone to landslides is unscientific, (4) All the human activity described above is carried out in the No Development Zone (NDZ) where no modifications are permitted whatsoever,(5) The construction of a road(?) in the NDZ cannot be justified, as such a road cannot be termed as a community project, (6) As such, unscientific and unwarranted interference along the HTL, and along a vulnerable cliff in the NDZ, and without a proper scientific study can be termed as blatant violations of CRZ 2011 laws.
(Dr Antonio Mascarenhas is a former Scientist, NIO, Goa, and Member, GCZMA)
