By Rupesh Samant

Panaji, May 15: CSIR-National Institute of Oceanography (NIO) has embarked upon a detailed study along Goa and Maharashtra coast to study the threat of soil erosion to the coastline.

CSIR-NIO Director Sunil Kumar Singh said on Wednesday that the study is a part of project under Central Water Commission (CWC), which had approached the institute with the proposal to study the environmental phenomenon of soil erosion.

He said that the beaches along Goa and Maharashtra would be taken up for the study as a part of this ambitious project.

“The project will study the cause of coastal soil erosion, its current and recommend the ways to control the situation in future,” Singh said.

“The Central Water Commission had approached us to conduct the coastal erosion study. Preliminary it has been observed that the sediment supply has stopped leading to erosion. As a result, the coastline is changing significantly,” he said.

In 2015, CWC had conducted a similar study covering the entire Indian coastline using satellite data of 1989-1991 and 2004-2006 time frames, wherein the study revealed that Goa, with highest percentage of 52 percent has stable shoreline when compared to other 11 maritime States and Union Territories.

Later in the year 2017, Goa government was on record to concede that almost 19 beaches with total 10.39kms coast is facing severe threat of erosion