MAPUSA: Locals have raised eyebrows over the filling of mud into the Mapusa River at Guirim bypass junction.
According to the locals, mud filling has diverted the river to a great extent, which in turn would lead to accumulation of water at that spot during the rains.
Since the river is being narrowed down, there will be no place for rain water to collect and could heavier flood than being witnessed in Guirim and Bastora.
Last year, the Water Resource Department (WRD) constructed a Raw Water Pumping Station at Guirim on the banks of Mapusa River.
“As it is built on the banks of the river, if there is flood and this structure is damaged, who will be responsible since it is the tax payer’s money that will be wasted?” asked local.
A member of Revolutionary Goans, Chetan Bandodkar exposed the dumping of mud into the Mapusa River on Thursday.
“They began filling mud into the river on Thursday morning which will cause flooding in the surrounding areas. This kind of development will cause a lot more disaster to the people of Bastora and Guirim. The water will have no way to flow as they are narrowing the river and filling some part of it,” Bandodkar said.
Ex-deputy sarpanch of Bastora Andrew D’Souza said that filing the river with mud was absurd.
“First of all, there was flooding on this road this year which was never seen before. The haphazard highway construction work is the primary cause for the burial of half the river which in turn is affecting the flow of water. If not rectified, flooding will turn out to be an annual issue at Bastora and the surrounding villages. The Comunidade of Bastora had earlier complained and warned of flooding,” he said.
Last year, D’Souza complained to the Goa Coastal Zone Management Authority (GCZMA) regarding a WRD project being executed on the banks of the Mapusa River thereby allegedly violating CRZ norms.
However, locals opine that the recent flooding that occurred in few villages took place due to negligence on the part of the state government as they paid very little attention in maintaining a balance between development and the environment.
