PANJIM: Several parts of the State capital remained water logged as rains lashed the city on Sunday night and Monday morning, inconveniencing citizens and leading to traffic jams. Major roads, including the Dayanand Bandodkar Marg and 18th June Road, were flooded for hours.
Reacting to the water-logging in several parts of the city, Panjim Mayor Surendra Furtado said the main reasons for the flooding could be cross draining and the high tide.
“CCP (Corporation of the City of Panaji) had begun the monsoon preparation in April and our workers de-silted the drains in all 30 wards twice. The recent water logging in the city was perhaps because of the high tide while another reason can be the cross drainage,” Furtado said.
He added, “The water pipelines laid by the Public Works Department (PWD) under the Jawaharlal Nehru National Urban Renewal Mission (JNNURM) may have affected the water flow in the drains at Atmaram Borkar Road, 18th June Road and other parts. Also it could be that PWD’s project of laying water pipelines has led to huge cross draining in the city.”
He further said that another major reason for the drains to get blocked is plastic waste such as bags and bottles which clogged the drains which in turn leads to water logging.
“All the drains in the 30 wards had been cleaned during the pre-monsoon works in April and during that time a lot of waste, which blocked the drains, was removed,” he said
Meanwhile, shop owners along 18th June Road said that if the rains continue, flooding would worsen and water entering the shops could damage products leading to losses. “It’s the same story every year. The minute it starts to pour heavily it causes flooding and CCP is not taking steps to prevent such flooding,” said a shop owner.
Another Panjim resident said, “Plastic waste strewn on the roadside blocks the gutters. The authorities should regularly clean the gutters and not wait for the monsoon to arrive.”
The Indian Meteorological Department (IMD) on Sunday had issued heavy to very heavy rainfall warning to Goa for next four days.
