‘Vasco, Miramar in dangerously low elevation areas’
Abdul Wahab Khan
Panaji: Even as the world is actively seeking solutions to combat climate change and rising sea levels, a recent study has revealed that 27 towns and villages across Goa, including the port town of Vasco and Miramar, located in the suburbs of the capital city of Panaji,
are situated in dangerously low elevation areas, rendering them increasingly vulnerable to rise in sea level, flooding and other coastal hazards.
Among the 27 identified locations, which also include the popular beach destinations of Anjuna, Arambol and Mandrem, nine are situated in the most precarious Class-1 zone where elevation ranges from zero to one foot above sea level, while three villages fall in Class-2 (1.1-2 feet above sea level) category and as many come under the Class-3 (2.1-3 feet above sea level) category.
The research has been conducted by Dr B G Kodge of the School of Science, GITAM University, by employing advanced Geographic Information System (GIS) techniques to identify and analyse coastal risk zones across coastal states and Union territories, including Goa.
“Goa is among the coastal states where a large number of villages are located in extremely low elevation areas. People who are living in extremely low elevation seacoast places are no longer safe because of a regular rise in the sea level due to global warming and other natural and artificial disasters/imbalances,” Dr Kodge has noted in his study, published in the International Review for Spatial Planning and Sustainable Development. The study states that the management and safety of coastal populations will pose significant governance challenges in the near future.
While Goa’s vulnerable land area (Class-1: 65 sq km, Class-2: 22 sq km) is relatively smaller compared to states like Gujarat (with over 10,000 sq km in Class-1 zone), Goa’s dense coastal population and tourism-driven economy make even small-scale threats critical. In contrast, Gujarat, Odisha, Andhra Pradesh and West Bengal each account for over 2,800-10,000 sq km of Class-1 low elevation zones, with states like Tamil Nadu and Kerala following them.
The alarming statistics come at a time when scientists globally have raised red flags over the rising sea levels. According to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s (NOAA) 2022 report referenced in the study, global sea levels are expected to rise by 10-12 inches by 2050, an increase equivalent to that observed over the past 100 years.
Dr Kodge has warned that the current study, while limited to elevation mapping and settlement identification, lays the groundwork for a more detailed analysis in the future. “This study is currently unable to address how many people, infrastructure, built-up land (residential/commercial areas), transportation and other services would be impacted,” according to Dr Kodge.
