Environmental Engineering Reference
In-Depth Information
longitudes 73
E. Goa
has a coastline of 101 km (63 mi). In Goa, sev-
eral coastal areas have changed from virtual
wilderness in 1970s to haphazardly developed
stretches, full of concrete buildings and related
structures,
°
40
′
33
″
E and 74
°
20
′
13
″
E. Pollution
Oil spills are the most frequent catastrophic type
of disaster. The toxicity varies with the type of oil
and the degree of breakdown at sea before it
arrives on the shore. Physical smothering is often
a more important cause of mortality than chemical
poisoning, and clean-up operations often kill
more marine life than the oil itself. Different
habitats have different sensitivities to oil spills:
exposed rocky shores are least sensitive,
in less than 20 years. The Baga
-
Candolim coast is a classic example of frenzied
development (Mascarenhas
1997
). Several shore
fronts have been designed and built in such a
manner that they bear little resemblance to the
coast that formerly existed. Many coastal com-
munities thus experienced a dramatic growth
during this period with constructions of high-rise
buildings, resorts, residential dwellings that
mushroomed almost all over the coastal zone of
Goa. During the last two decades, the advent of
tourism, population increase coupled with
building activity and modern societal demands,
has resulted in large-scale changes in the geo-
logical and ecological set-up and has indelibly
altered ecosystems, land use patterns and the
coastal zone landscape (Mascarenhas
1997
).
Figures
7.40
and
7.41
show some developmental
concrete constructions almost adjacent to the
high-tide line (HTL), which can accelerate the
rate and magnitude of erosion subsequently
leading to destruction of coastal vegetation.
then
come sandy beds and
nally by sheltered rocky
shores, mud
ats and salt marshes, which are the
most sensitive. The coastal vegetation particularly
the mangroves is highly sensitive to mangroves
Mangrove forests are adversely affected by oil
pollution and related developments. Oil spills are
a serious concern in regard to the health of our
planet
fl
s remaining mangrove forests. Leaked oil
permeates the coastal waters and streams, coating
the exposed, air breathing roots of the man-
groves. It is dif
'
cult, if not impossible, for the
plants
breathing lenticels to perform their
essential functions, thus in effect slowly suffo-
cating the mangroves. Massive mangrove die-
offs are common phenomena plaguing the man-
grove regions where coastal oil exploitation
occurs.
'
Fig. 7.40
Hard concrete structures adjacent to the HTL on the Goa coast (15
°
29
′
5.0
″
N and 73
°
47
′
40.4
″
E);
photograph taken on 4 April 2013 by Dr. Shubhadra Devi Gadi (Zoologist)