Team Herald
MARGAO: Various government officials were left red-faced after the villagers of Benaulim village along with the local MLA Venzy Viegas showed them how the Tollebandh low-lying area was flooded, thereby proving their fears that if the western bypass is built on embankments through this stretch, the risk of flooding-related consequences will be far greater.
It may be recalled that for years now the locals have been fighting a battle against the government where they have demanded that the western bypass passing through Benaulim be built on stilts and not by filling up the low-lying areas.
On Tuesday, a joint inspection was called at Tollebandh, which was attended by the officials from Water Resources Department (WRD), Disaster Management Authority (DMA), National Highway Authority of India (NHAI) and the Salcete Mamlatdar.
Some of the locals namely fishermen Pele and MLA then went on a boat ride with the team of government officials to have a first-hand view of how the catchment area at Tollebandh had been filled up to its brim. When it isn’t raining, there are fields on the ground which have been destroyed by the floods and this is just the start of the monsoon.
Incidentally, a road leading to the catchment area was submerged under water. This road is to be used for the work of filling up the catchment area to build the western bypass. Places in other areas where the western bypass is being built namely Mungul were also submerged under water.
Viegas informed the government officials that the water had already started entering houses that were by the side of Tollebandh catchment area and that a school located less than a km away could also be flooded given like it happened last year.
“The reports that were done by the WRD are faulty as they have not calculated the catchment area and the intensity of rainfall properly. Here, the catchment area is full and it’s already flooded, plus there is rainfall and it is also high tide, so the water is not going anyway,” said Viegas.
He was speaking directly to the WRD officials and others and asked them to conduct fresh studies on this area and produce risk assessment reports about what would happen if the western bypass is built on embankments.
Other locals namely Rudolf Fernandes and Royla Fernandes also pointed out that the government already has all the data but is still unwilling to change their stance and insisting that the western bypass be built on embankments and not stilts, despite the great risk it poses to human life, property and the biodiversity of the natural wetlands.
While the government officials conceded that the area was flooded within just one day of heavy rainfall, they fell short of committing to send a report to the government stating that the western bypass should be built on stilts.
Viegas added that if the bypass is built on embankments, the damage to the environment and Benaulim as a whole will be long-lasting and thus it has to be built on stilts.
