Erwin Fonseca | NT
MAPUSA:  A Rs 6 crore effort by the Water Resources Department to protect the Kerim shore is heading for disaster, thanks to heavy rains that lashed the area this monsoons.
Built about three years back, the famed Gabion wall, which was touted as the best solution to keep soil erosion in check is facing imminent collapse.

About 270 metres of the total 1.6 km wall that was constructed has already been washed out with the remaining revealing cracks.
In some areas (see picture) casuarina trees have been uprooted with water making a dangerous ingress into the land.
The Mandrem MLA, Mr Laxmikant Parsekar blamed the government  for not taking timely action in protecting the wall.
“My coastline is a victim of natural disaster and the worst affected is Kerim. Last year I had informed the government that the wall  has been damaged due to massive sand extraction, yet no corrective steps were taken,” he thundered.
Mr Parsekar tried to get the government to implement its order to ban extraction of sand in a two-km radius of the shoreline. “I do not know why the government is dilly dallying in implementing it,” he questioned.
Executive engineer of Water Resources Department, Mr Badani admitted that of the 1,670 metres of Gabion wall built at the cost of Rs 6 crore, around 270 metres had collapsed resulting in  a loss of Rs 40 lakh.
The damage is more at the mouth of the Tiracol river because of strong sea waves, water currents, severe cyclonic winds and heavy rains, he added.
A team of experts had also visited the site and assessed the situation. The department has now decided to construct the damaged portion of the wall with concrete blocks weighing around 1 tonne each and the work is likely to cost around Rs 3 crore. Work is expected to start soon.
“We have been able to protect large amount of private property as the wall suffered all damage,” Mr Badani informed. 
But Mr Parsekar is not convinced. “The government is toying with idea of extending this project to the entire coastline in my constituency, but I feel that the project should first be tried and tested only for Kerim and then extended to other beaches,”
he said.
He also said no project to halt soil erosion will succeed unless sand extraction
is stopped.