Team Herald
PANJIM: The Mala residents have expressed their apprehensions over the ongoing road digging in the area even as the Goa State Urban Development Agency (GSUDA) said that they will execute the work of constructing Smart Road only after laying of sewer lines.
“We will not execute the work of constructing one of the two Smart Roads from Old Patto bridge up to Four Pillars till all ongoing works by various agencies are completed. Once we lay utility lines there will be cross networking after every 30-metre so that the road is not cut,” a GSUDA source said.
Unlike some politicians making spot visits and giving assurances to the people during monsoon, Revenue Minister Atanasio Monserrate inspected the Mala lake areas along with engineers of WRD and PWD on Monday and gave instructions to them to initiate measures to prevent flooding during monsoon.
At present all the roads which were dug have been repaired while the work around the low lying areas near the Mala Lake is in full swing.
In the past during monsoon the citizens residing in the low lying areas of Mala were facing hardships as the area is severely inundated by water and many houses get flooded.
When contacted, WRD executive engineer Nazareth Vaz said that as preventive measures they are planning to install at least two high capacity pumps to discharge water. “The work is in progress. We have plans to install five pumps – two pumps of 100 HP which can discharge 2500 cubic metres of water per hour and three pumps having 60 HP that can discharge 1500 cubic metres of water per hour,” he said adding once activated these pumps will help to reduce the water level 60 centimetre to one-metre.
According to Vaz, these pumps will be specially designed and procured from Pune. The WRD is executing the work through Laxmi Engineers. The works of laying pipes have been completed even as the entire work will be completed by March next year.
“We are on track. So far 50 per cent of work has been completed and old pumping station has also been activated,” he said.
