Team Herald
PONDA: A day after the 18-year-old Sunny Mathur, a resident of Banastarim-Adkon and native of Jharkhand was reported feared drowned in the Kodar River; locals on Tuesday demanded that the Water Resources Department (WRD) fence the river banks and bandharas, which have turned into death traps to prevent such tragic incidents in future.
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They blamed the WRD for failing to fence the river and bandharas due to which the youth move freely at the spot during the summer picnics. Besides this, the locals alleged that some private farms situated close to river are allowing youth to the river for picnics just to earn money thereby putting the lives of youngsters at risk.
Former Bethora panch Prasad Phabhugaonkar, who visited the spot on Tuesday said, “As the summer approaches, parents should take care of their children. Each year from Kodar River right to its upstream at Dharbandora, picnickers drink and venture into river and bhandaras to bathe which end in tragedies. In the last two years, 15 people have died including school students and young migrants.”
He demanded that five-six metre deep barbed wire fencing be installed around the bhandaras to prevent the entry of picnickers.
Prabugaonkar said several youth visit Kodar River during summer especially on Saturdays, Sundays and public holidays for picnicking and bathing.
Repeatedly attempts to call WRD official on complaints from locals proved futile as he could not be contacted.
The river also known as Opa River, is a Mhadei tributary, which flows from Karnataka and the OPA treatment plant supplies this water to Tiswadi and Ponda talukas.
The locals say the river is the lifeline of Goans but in summer it gets bad name due to drowning cases for which they blame the WRD officials for their negligence.
This river flows at knee-deep level; however, at the upstream at various places bandharas have been constructed to store the water to meet water requirements of OPA treatment plant during summer. The river water attracts picnickers especially youth during summer. People are prohibited from entering the river; however, there have been several incidents wherein the youth under influence of liquor have met watery graves in the bhandaras which are four-five meters deep.
