Goa, India
Goa, India
Photo: Alamy
Photo: Alamy
Despite having a coastline that extends over 4,300 miles, India
doesn't attract nearly as many visitors to its beautiful beaches as to
its temples and palaces. Perhaps that explains why those beaches are so
neglected: According to a report by the Asian Development Bank, about 25
percent of India's coastline faces "serious erosion" caused by
everything from rising sea levels to the removal of sand dunes to the
construction of hundreds of new harbors.
Goa, the former Portuguese colony turned hippie enclave turned chic
resort destination, may be where the problem is most visible: The
state's entire 63-mile coastline is eroded, and some beaches have lost
as much as 65 feet of landmass in recent years. Matanhy Saldana, a
social activist and former Goa tourism minister, points to multiple
causes, including the construction of a massive naval port and the
destruction of vegetation along the shore. At popular Candolim beach
(pictured), a ship abandoned after it ran aground in June 2000 is acting
as a giant jetty, pulling sand away from the shore. The state recently
appealed to the national government for help funding anti-erosion
projects, but Goan activists contend that development is taking
precedence over ecological matters. "As long as greed prevails and
governments and the public don't consider that the environment cannot
[be] tampered with, there will be no solution," says Saldana.
If you go: Many of Goa's great beaches, including Velsao,
Cansaulim, Utorda, and Miramar, are unaffected by erosion. The
brother-and-sister owners of the charming Vivenda dos Palhaços
guesthouse in Majorda, South Goa, will help steer you to the highlights.
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