Goa’s traditional fisherfolk community, led by Goenchea Raponkarancho Ekvott (GRE) and the National Fishworkers’ Forum (NFF), has opposed projects proposed by the Goa Water Resources Department (WRD) to construct concrete tetrapods and flood protection walls for protective and anti-sea erosion measures in different parts of the coastal State. These organisations have instead urged the government to implement soft and environment-friendly measures to impede beach erosion. The GRE joint-general secretary and NFF secretary, Olancio Simoes, strongly opposed projects over a stretch of one kilometre at Kante, Baina. Similar undertakings are also scheduled for the beaches of Vaddem in Dabolim, and Velsao and Arrosim in Mormugao. The structures will be situated on the banks of the river Sal in Quepem, at Nuem in Canacona, river Kushawati in Quepem, and Naquerim in Betul, all in south Goa. The organisations called the process anti-fishermen and anti- environment, criticising the use of tetrapods and their possible effects on the coastline’s biodiversity, including the loss of shell species and the degradation of estuaries. Prominently utilised along Mumbai’s coast, tetrapods are tetrahedral concrete structures, used in large numbers to dissipate the force of incoming waves by causing the water to flow around the randomly interlocked structures. Mr. Simoes said on Wednesday that coastal ecosystems store and cycle nutrients, filter pollutants from inland freshwater systems, and also, without artificial interference, help protect shorelines from erosion and storms. He added that the salt marshes support a wide range of flora and fauna crucial to the food chain of beach ecosystems, and that the further concreting of the coast will increase the vulnerability of coastal communities to cyclones, tsunamis, and climate change due to the destruction of the sand bars and dunes. The large tracts of fresh water turning saline, the sandy beaches which act as filters will be destroyed, as seawater will ingress into the ground water aquifers, he warned.Baina Ramponkar & Fishing Canoe Owners Society (BRFCOS) General Secretary Sajit Shaik said that the tetrapods will condense the flow of nutrients and sediments into the sea, thereby destroying the spawning ground of fish. Moreover, these structures will obstruct the flow of sand, and accelerate the erosion of Baina’s coast. It has been clearly recognised that this approach is not only costly due to the sinking of existing rock structures and an unending need for more concrete tetrapods, but in the long run causes serious damage to the coastline, and will cause inconvenience to the fishermen as concrete tetrapods will obstruct our space to carry out our fishing activities, like pulling our canoe and storing our nets, etc., said Mr. Shaik. Mr. Simoes advocated the use of soft measures to artificially replicate the natural ecological mechanism, such as sand bypassing, artificial beach nourishment, and ecological restoration. Quoting several studies, Mr. Simoes said that the hard coastal protection measures are essentially emergency measures to protect the lives and livelihoods of coastal communities affected by erosion and might provide temporary relief.He pointed out that even the Goa Coastal Zone Management Authority (GCZMA) has often called flood protection walls ‘improper’ and ‘unscientific’, and has advocated globally employed soft solutions, which include the restoration of river banks with mangroves and other vegetation.Further stating that the loss of beach space would also damage Goa’s tourism prospects, the organisations demanded that the projects be cancelled, citing the deterioration of beaches in Chennai and Puducherry caused by similar projects.
2016, The Hindu