NIO to continue sand erosion, river discharge studies in more rivers

Panaji: After submitting a comprehensive report on sand erosion and sediment discharge studies in three rivers, the National Institute of Oceanography (NIO) now plans to turn its attention to other rivers in the state.
NIO has already submitted a comprehensive report to the directorate of mines and geology (DMG) on the impact of sand extraction and the locations where sand extraction can safely take place in the Mandovi and Zuari rivers.
“We have done a huge amount of work and now in two or three rivers, we have pointed out exactly how much sand is coming (due to erosion), where it is getting deposited during monsoon, and during non-monsoon how it is moving from one place to another place and which is the right place where mining can be done,” said director CSIR-NIO professor Sunil Kumar Singh.
In June 2019, the Goa government decided to engage the services of NIO to monitor riverine and riparian biodiversity, sand replenishment and erosion. Even though the report has been submitted to the government, NIO continues to conduct river discharge studies in the Mandovi, Zuari, Terekhol and Chapora rivers.
In 2022, NIO identified 10 zones each in the Mandovi and Zuari rivers for sand extraction using traditional methods. “Very comprehensive work has been done including biological studies. We have submitted the report and it is with the government of Goa. Work in three rivers has been completed and we will be continuing the research work in the other rivers,” said Singh.
NIO will also conduct a field demonstration on Friday to show young researchers interested in oceanography how the sand and soil sampling is conducted in the Mandovi river. The demonstration is part of the Samudra Manthan 2023 programme. “Many of the researchers come from the interior parts of the country so they have never seen the ocean. We are going to take them into the field to a nearby coastal area to show them how the sampling is done,” said Singh.