The Goa government has launched an ambitious initiative to revive and safeguard the state’s historic khazan lands—low-lying estuarine floodplains traditionally used for rice cultivation, aquaculture, and salt production. At the heart of this plan is the proposed Khazan Board, which will hold overriding authority on land use decisions, superseding the Regional Plan, Outline Development Plans (ODPs), and 21 other government land use policies, except for the Goa Land Use Act of 1991, which will still govern agricultural tenancy lands.
The Khazan Land Management Plan (KMP) focuses on preserving farmland and enhancing local food security by promoting cultivation of rice, vegetables, and fish. It calls for a detailed survey of both active and fallow khazan lands to assess their suitability for various agricultural practices. The lands will be classified into four zones based on salinity and degradation: K1 (low salinity, ideal for vegetables and second-season rice), K2 (moderate salinity, suitable for salt-tolerant rice), K3 (high salinity, used for traditional rice, salt, and fish farming), and KH (highly degraded areas, mostly abandoned and dominated by mangroves).
The Department of Environment and Climate Change will oversee the establishment of the Khazan Board and serve as its secretariat, finalizing its legal framework and operational structure within six months. The Board will develop a comprehensive management plan aligned with the CRZ 2011 notification and the Coastal Zone Management Plan, updating it regularly as regulations change.
A NITI Aayog team is scheduled to visit Goa to assess the state’s proposal to restore 10,000 hectares of khazan land. The government is seeking significant central funding for repairs to embankments, sluice gates, and desilting waterways. The restoration efforts aim to revive traditional livelihoods, increase agricultural productivity, and protect Goa’s delicate coastal ecosystems for generations to come.