VRISHANK MAHATME
With the monsoons set to approach in a month’s time, the ongoing construction of the third Mandovi Bridge is likely to flood the areas near the Kadamba Transport Corporation (KTC) Bus Stand as the main outlets and storm water drains have either been choked or damaged during the building process.
In this regard, the Corporation of the City of Panaji (CCP) had written to the Goa State Infrastructure Development Corporation (GSIDC), which is expediting the bridge work through construction company Larsen and Toubro (L&T), to submit an action plan for carrying out pre-monsoon preparedness, however, there has been no response.
Water logging in the State’s capital is nothing new as in the past many parts of the city have remained water logged as rains lashed, inconveniencing citizens and leading to traffic jams. Major roads, including the Dayanand Bandodkar Marg and 18th June Road, witness flooding for hours.
As Team Herald visited the site, it was revealed that due to the erection of various pillars on the land for the third Mandovi Bridge, major drains had been either blocked with mud or have been damaged due to the construction activity.
It was also witnessed that the main outlet from where the water flows into the river has also been choked. Similarly, the concrete slabs above the drain had been completely damaged thus blocking the path for the water to flow.
Speaking to Herald, CCP Mayor Vithal Chopdekar said, “During our inspection we found that all the major drains and outlets have either been choked with mud or have been destroyed due to the ongoing construction activity and due to the erection of various pillars for the third Mandovi Bridge. We had also written to the GSIDC to submit an action plan for carrying out pre-monsoon preparedness but we have not had any response from them.”
“The area outside the KTC bus stand has witnessed flooding in the last many years wherein it has brought Panjim to its knees. If the drains are not repaired before the monsoons, the main entry to the city will be choked and the CCP will not be responsible as we have time and again been writing to GSIDC. I will also be meeting former Panjim MLA Siddharth Kunkaliencar in this regard,” Chopdekar added.
The Mayor also said that water-logging at Patto will be a direct consequence of the ongoing work of the third Mandovi Bridge while claiming that the drains are blocked by sludge and mud, which then naturally gets transferred into the pipes along with the running rainwater.
CCP had begun preparing for the rainy season in April with workers clearing drains and pruning trees to ensure an incident-free monsoon. However, the work is now on a complete slow pace due to shortage of labour as the contractor, who use to supply labourers, is waiting for his contract to be renewed.
Meanwhile, GSIDC Managing Director (MD) Srinet Kotwale assured that whichever drains are affected with Mandovi bridge construction ‘will be taken care of before the monsoons.’
“We will take care of whichever drains are affected with Mandovi bridge construction. We will clear it off before the monsoons. We had a meeting with the Collector recently and we have assured to clear the drains. More drains will be dug if required. The issue is at two points. KTC circle and city entry point will be taken care of, but we will also need help from CCP,” said Kotwale.
Since Panjim is situated on the river front, the high tide of the Mandovi River is one of the main reasons which does not allow the water to flow from its drains to its outlets in the river as was undertaken during the erstwhile Portuguese regime. So pre-monsoon dredging of the river bed is very essential to contain flooding of the city, said some sources.
Many gutters and nullahs have also been foolishly concretised which now prevents rain water to percolate to the ground below. Many open areas, where water used to sink in the ground, have also been concretised by the high rise buildings, the source said.
