One fourth of Goa's coastline affected by erosion

Nearly one-fourth of Goa's 105-km long coastline is affected by erosion, the Rajya Sabha has been told.

Union Minister of State (Independent Charge) for Science and Technology and Earth Sciences Jitendra Singh said in his written reply Thursday that the problem of erosion along Goa, which has some of the most popular beaches in the country, has "accelerated" over the years.

"The study conducted by the Pune-based Central Water and Power Research Station found out that over the years the problem of coastal erosion has accelerated, and presently about 25 km is affected," Singh told the Rajya Sabha.

"The average sea level rise trends along the Indian west coast has been about 3.0 mm/year during the last two decades. Sea level rise is a very slow phenomenon and occurs because of physical factors like normal subsidence, coastal erosion and siltation of river channels along the coastline apart from global warming," he said.

Erosion has emerged as a major problem along Goa's coastline which attracts nearly three million tourists annually. The phenomenon has affected one of the most popular beach stretches in the state, including the stretch from Sinquerim to Baga, located around 20 km from Panaji.