Goenchea Ramponkarancho Ekvott (GRE) a traditional fishermen’s association has urged the government to constitute a committee of experts to ascertain the main factors behind extensive beach erosion and look for measures to stop it. The issue of beach erosion has come back in focus with the problem affecting Velsao beach for about a year now. This season, some portions of the beach has been washed away about 1.5m deep along a 15m stretch, prompting a gram sabha of Velsao-Pale-Issorcim panchayats to ask the government to initiate mitigation measures and adopt environment-friendly methods like beach nourishment. The water resource department’s suggestion to use tetrapods to arrest erosion was met with opposition from GRE members, who said tetrapods will not only spoil the natural beauty of the beach, but wave action on them will also pull the sand away from the shore faster than it naturally does. Tetrapods will accelerate beach erosion by disturbing the natural processes that shape the coastal environment. It will only amplify the erosion, as has already been proven in other coastal states, said general secretary, GRE, Olencio Simoes. Therefore, the association said, only scientific approaches should be used before Goa loses its pristine beaches and costs fishermen and those dependent on tourism their livelihoods. GRE president Agnelo Rodrigues said a proper bathymetric survey of the bed or floor of the ocean should be done to ascertain the exact cause of erosion at Velsao and other beaches. Recently, Pondicherry restored its lost beach in a project entrusted to Chennai-based National Institute of Ocean Technology, an autonomous body under Union ministry of earth sciences, and a Singapore-based firm. Citing that example, Rodrigues said, The same could be executed to restore or stop our fast-eroding beaches.