Dahanu, Maharashtra, India | Maharashtra Coastal Department
Dahanu is a coastal town situated on the western coast of India, on the border of Maharashtra and Gujarat, facing the Arabian Sea. The site features a 1,500-metre stretch of sandy shoreline that forms a vital natural buffer protecting adjacent habitation and infrastructure from the direct forces of the open sea. The beach is an important ecological and community asset, supporting local fishing livelihoods and the broader coastal economy of the region.
The Dahanu beach had been experiencing continuous and progressive erosion driven by the abrasive action of Arabian Sea waves. The 1,500-metre beach frontage was being steadily stripped of its natural sand cover, with the advancing erosion line beginning to threaten adjoining structures and inhabited areas in close proximity to the shoreline — posing a growing risk to property, infrastructure, and community safety. Conventional shore protection methods had been attempted at this location and proved ineffective under the prevailing wave and current conditions. The scale and persistence of the deterioration underscored the urgent need for a technically proven, innovative solution capable of simultaneously stabilising the eroding shoreline and facilitating the natural recovery of the beach profile.
Following evaluation of alternatives, a geotextile tube groyne system — comprising TechTubes engineered and supplied by TechFab India — was selected as the most effective solution for shoreline protection and beach restoration at Dahanu. TechTubes are proven worldwide as a flexible, durable alternative to conventional hard-armour shore protection, having been deployed successfully in diverse marine and coastal environments across the globe.
The proposed system comprised three integrated structural components: (a) a primary groyne tube of 3.0 m theoretical diameter, positioned perpendicular to the shoreline to intercept longshore drift and absorb incident wave energy; (b) an anchor toe tube of 1.0 m theoretical diameter, installed at the seaward base of the primary structure to ensure positional stability; and (c) a scour apron fabricated from high-strength woven geotextile, placed at the foundation to prevent undermining by scour. Together, these elements form a robust mass-gravity structure that controls shoreline erosion and promotes progressive sand accretion on the sheltered side of the groyne.
TechTubes were successfully installed along the eroded frontage at Dahanu Beach, forming a flexible geotextile groyne structure with a consolidated height of 1.6 m above the beach surface. The installed coastal structure fulfilled the desired objectives of shoreline stabilisation and erosion control, confirming TechTubes as a reliable, adaptable, and effective solution for shore protection in high-energy Arabian Sea coastal environments.
