Team Herald
PANJIM: The research report prepared by the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) using remote sensing satellites has revealed that Goa lost around 15.2 hectare of land due to coastal erosion during 10 years.
As per the report “Quantification of shoreline changes along the entire Indian coast” released in December, last year, the data was collected between 2004-06 and 2014-16.
The study shows that around 21.7 kms of Goa’s shoreline is eroding and 28.8 ha of the coastal land area has eroded. Further, 7.1 kms of shoreline and 13.6 ha of coastal area have accreted during this period.
The effective land loss for Goa stands at 15.2 hectares.
North Goa, having one of the famous beach belts like Calangute-Candolim is subjected to severe coastal erosion.
At the same time, the study also states that around 116.7 kms of shoreline in Goa is stable.
“Maharashtra and Goa have more than 80% of stable shoreline. The rocky coastal stretches of Saurashtra, Maharashtra, Goa, and northern Karnataka make the coast stable,” the study stated.
According to the study, Goa has reported the lowest accretion process. Accretion is the process of coastal sediment returning to the visible portion of a beach or foreshore after a submersion event.
The research to be published soon in the peer-reviewed journal ‘Current Science’ states that around 1,144 kms of the Indian shoreline is eroding, which is about 15% of the total shoreline and 3680 ha of the coastal land area is eroded.
However, 4,042 ha of the coastal area have accreted within the time period, leading to a net gain in the coastal region. The deltaic and open sandy beach of the east coast is more dynamic compared to the rocky and cliff beaches of the west coast.
“The coastal region of India is highly vulnerable for various threats, including coastal erosion, due to natural processes that are enhanced by anthropogenic influences,” the report added.
