CERTIFICATE ACKNOWLEDGEMENT INDEX Certificate Acknowledgment INDEX Preface 1. Introduction 1.1 Konkan 1.1.1 boundaries 1.1.2 geography 1.2 Environmental issues along the Konkan coast. 1.3 First community of the coast 1.3.1 Fishermen: the son of the ocean 1.3.2 Fishermen: the forgotten culture 1.3.3 Conclusion 1.4 Aims and objectives. 2. Tourism Industry 3. Study of Konkan coast. 3.1 Tourist spots along the coast. 3.2 Biodiversity. 4. The site. 5. Case studies 6. Sustainable architecture techniques. 7. Design concept. 8. conclusion INDEX SINDHUDURG/MAHARASHTRA: While Goa got Rs 200 crore in this year‟s budget to save its beaches from being swallowed by the sea, nearer home in Sindhudurg the beautiful coastline is facing a similar threat with no rescue in sight for its famed beaches. And with each passing wave of holiday season, the tourist paradise in Sindhudurg is inching closer to losing its famed white-sand beaches for good. According to experts, more than 10 per cent of the 100 km coastline has been claimed by the sea. Major stretches of nivati, tarkarli, sagareshwar beaches have been undercut by erosion. The cause appears to be more man-made than natural, with global warming playing its part in changing sea levels and ocean currents. Unbridled sand mining, rampant construction in the name of tourism along with destruction of mangroves and salt pans have exacerbated the problem. The situation could wreck the livelihood of several fisherfolk and tourist operators. “If we lose the beaches to soil erosion, tourism will naturally be hit,” scientist T Shivaji Rao said. Flooding due to coastal erosion has already affected trade in some beaches. “Thanks to erosion, the beaches are actively retreating,” prof. Rao said. What‟s worrying is that the erosion has been increasing with each passing day, which, experts averred, could spell trouble for the ecology and precious marine life. “In the long run, the picturesque beaches will simply vanish,” pointed out a scientist at the National Institute of Oceanography (NIO). NIO technical officer N S N Raju, however, said that between December and March the sea water is pushed back due to changes in weather and onshore currents. “The waves would recede further till the second half of March due to the changes in beach dynamics,” he explained. Little wonder that it has opened up the sand area in vast stretches at Tarkarli beach and other beaches. According to experts, to check erosion the beaches must be reinforced with flexible barriers called „geotubes‟. “Scientists must protect the beaches. The problem is serious and we must understand how important beaches are to us,” observed an official of the State Tourism Development Corporation. (courtesy: TNN 09 FEB, 2009) When we think of a sea-shore we imagine sunny, pristine beaches, forested mountains and pretty rivers meandering down the lush green hill slopes. We also imagine people merrily flocking to the beaches every evening, wondering at the waves splashing on the shore. The fishermen tending their nets and receiving fishing boats with a happy song. Few among us realize that behind this picture of sun, song and sand lies the conflict which is invisible to a visitor. A perennial conflict between man and forces of nature, that makes life on the coast rather harsh. Most of this dream like landscape consisting of sandy beaches and rocky shore with dynamic coastline is unfit for the cultivation. Even fresh water is scarce on the coast due to unsuitability of shore as deep lasting aquifer. Most of the coastal rivers are saline as the tidal water from the sea mixes with the fresh river water every day. This makes the coastal rivers unsuitable either for domestic water supply or for irrigation. Coastal regions are humid and thus make the summer unpleasant. During storms and cyclones the coastal region becomes the first target for devastation. The newspaper articles which are mentioned previously bring this conflict to the light and help us to realize how serious the problem is! In addition to the natural calamities man-made hazards are also playing an important role in disturbing the marine ecosystem and environmental quality of the zone. The region along the sahyadri ranges on India's west coast is internationally acclaimed for its sun and sand making it heavenly abode. With the growing demand for the coastal space due to demographic burden , tourism and industrialization the region is subjected to rapid changes. Tourism is the major factor affecting the coastal region as it is one of the rapidly growing industry of india and the future economical backbone too. Thus, bringing the tourism in focus this work is an attempt to understand the environmental issues, the traditional architecture, the culture and values of konkan region and thus setting the guidelines for tourism activity. KONKAN The Konkan also called the Konkan Coast or Karavali, is a rugged section of the western coastline of India from Raigad to Mangalore. The sapta-Konkan is a slightly larger region described in the Skanda-purana. Konkan Division is also one of six administrative sub-divisions of the state of Maharashtra, comprising of its costal districts. Residents of Konkan and their descendants are called Konkanis. The name may also refer specifically to the Konkani people, ethnic group of the region; most of whom speak the Konkani language. Besides the Konkanis the other major ethnic group are the Tuluvas, mostly living the districts of South Canara and Udupi of Karnataka state. Boundaries: The precise definition of Konkan varies, but most include Maharashtra's districts of Raigad, Mumbai,Thane, Ratnagiri and Sindhudurg, the state of Goa, and the Uttar Kannada, Udupi and Dakshina Kannadadistricts of Karnataka. The sapta-Konkan as depicted in Skanda-purana stretches from Maharashtra to Karnataka . This is actually logical since there are a lot of similarities in the food- habits (rice and fish), crops cultivated (rice,mangoes, cashews and jackfruit) and the physique (tall and well-built) of people dwelling in this area. The Konkan division is an administrative sub-division of Maharashtra which comprises all the coastal districts of the state. Geography: The Sahyadri Mountain range ("Western Ghats") forms the eastern boundary of the Konkan, and the Arabian Sea marks the western boundary. The southern boundary is the Gangavali River. The Mayura River forms the northern boundary. The Gangavali flows in the district of North Canara ("Uttara Kannada") in present-day "Karnataka State"; the cis-Gangavali portion (seen from Bombay) of this district is the southern-most part of the Konkan. The towns of Gokarn, Guhagar, Honavar, and Karwar fall within the Konkan. The exact identity of the Mayura River, the northern limits of the historic Konkan, is indeterminate. Ethnology: The Gabit tribals of the Maharashtra Konkan (districts of Sindhudurg, Ratnagiri, Raigad or Alibag or Colaba, Mumbai Urban, Mumbai Suburban and Thane in "Maharashtra State") are among the original settlers in the region. Tribal communities in Konkan include Konkana, Warli and Kolcha in Southern Gujarat, Dadra and Nagarhaveli and Thane district of Maharashtra. Katkaris are found more in Raigad and also some in Ratnagiri district. Bhandari community is found majorly along coastal line in konkan. they are basically originated from warriors family. Also Tilori or Tilori Kunbi is a major community in Raigad and Ratnagiri districts. Agaris are found in Thane and Raigad district. Major Brahmin castes of Konkan include Chitpavans, Karhade, Padye, Samavedi, Haviyak. They are called 'Kokanastha Brahmin' ENVIRONMENTAL ISSUES OF KONKAN Introduction: India has a long coastline of over 7000 KMs. About 25% of population in India live in coastal areas. The coastal areas have provided excellent harbours around which large human settlements and industries have developed. The coastal seas, estuaries and rivers have been extensively used for transport, food, communication, waste disposal and recreation. The increased human activities along the coast have exerted more pressure to the coastline and its ecology. Several places along the coast have been reclaimed and several artificial structures are made along the coast altering the natural settings of the coastline. The coastal ecosystems are very productive and fisheries concentrate in the near shore zone along the coast. Now the awareness is increasing on the protection of environment and the idea of sustainable development. The changing coastline: It is evident that the world’s coastline undergoes changes from time to time. The proportion of the world’s coastline that has retreated during the past century exceeds that which has advanced, although extensive sectors have remained stable or have shown no definite evidence of advance of retreat (Mil-liman 1985). According to Ahmad (1972) about 55% of the Indian coastline is beach fringed; the beaches have been generally either stable or receding in the past few decades. On the west coast of India, there have been episodes of submergence due to earthquake subsidence (in 1819 and 1845) followed by alleviation and procreation, particularly around Gulf to Kutch. The Gulf of Cambay is an area of counting swampy progradation and, around and between the estuaries to Narmada, the tapi and the Ulhas, and further south, there is a large sediment discharge derived partly from gully erosion in coastal plain. Gradual accretion of slit and clay has been observed on islands at the mouth of the Narmada (Bedi and Vaidyanathan, 1982). In goa, Wagle(1982) concluded that the coastline was progressing along the beaches while retreating along the clifs and headlands. But on the sandy Kerala coast there has been sustained recession in several parts. It appears that some of the protection measures themselves are responsible for spreading the erosion to other areas. Some of the factors responsible for morphological changes in the coastline are subsidence, rising sea level, storms and storm surges, sediment input from rivers, sediment redistribution and artificial structures along the coast.