PANJIM: Incessant rains from the early hours of Monday wreaked havoc as Goa witnessed a flood-like situation. The India Meteorological Department (IMD) Goa Circle has issued a ‘very heavy rainfall’ alert till Wednesday.
From landslides and the collapse of weak structures, the felling of rotten trees and branches, to inundated fields and vehicular accidents; the State endured nearly all kinds of rain-related disasters on a single day. Several acres of fields across the State were flattened, resulting in the loss of crops. Goa’s capital city Panjim, which is moving towards being ‘smart’ through the government’s ambitious Smart City project, was almost submerged.
The flooding of busy areas like Patto Plaza, Panjim Bus Stand and the city’s commercial street 18 June Road inconvenienced shop-owners and commuters. Rainwater gushed through the streets of residential localities in Mala, Fontainhas and Miramar, and water-logging was reported in the villages of Bambolim and St Cruz as well.
In Bambolim, the subway near the Goa Medical College and Hospital was dangerously flooded, and people were warned not to enter, for fear of electrocution. While motorists had a tough time on the highway, eye-witnesses claim that some medical students had a fall while trying to cross the flooded road.
The IMD sounded an orange alert till July 6 citing that the low-pressure area over Odisha-Jharkhand and the strengthening of the Westerlies increased rainfall activity. According to IMD’s figures, until noon on Monday, Mapusa received the most rain at 110 mm, followed by Pernem at 79 mm, Old Goa at 56 mm, and Panjim at 53.5 mm.
