Team Herald
PANJIM/ VASCO: Cyclone Ockhi that passed off the Goa coast left behind signs of sand erosion and damaged beach shacks. After Sunday’s ingress of sea water on to the beaches, the damage was further apparent on Monday.
The damage caused to the beaches and beach shacks is still being worked out, as vast swathes of the beach areas at Cavelossim, Benaulim, Arambol, Morjim, Baga, Calangute, Candolim have been severely affected, while almost all shacks at Keri beach have been destroyed.
With the Cyclone Ockhi warning still in place, shack owners were worried about the high tide on Monday, when it would be highest as it will be coupled with the full moon, besides having the cyclone effect.
Though the effect of the cyclone on the Goa coast has weakened, the Indian Meteorological Department Goa has not withdrawn the warning claiming a slight impact will continue on Tuesday. “The warning remains for the next 24 hours. People should not enter the waters and neither fishermen venture into the sea,” IMD Director M L Sahu told Herald.
The maximum impact, Sahu said, was on Monday afternoon when the Cyclone crossed the Goa coast towards the North. “The speed of the wind on Monday afternoon was at 50 km per hour because at this time, the Cyclone moving in the North direction was 200-250 km parallel to Goa coast,” he told Herald.
The cyclone effect resulted in sudden change of the wind direction from South to North, also coinciding with the highest tide.
Along the coast there has been damage. The collapse of 30 meters of a retaining wall (in stretches) at Hollant Beach in Issorcim has led to the fear of landslides and erosion.
Similarly shack owners in Cavelossim and Benaulim were also worried about the damage caused to their temporary structures.
