PANJIM: Keeping in mind the safety of people, the Public Works Department (PWD) has been asked to file a compliance report based on the Dona Paula jetty structural audit done in the year 2015 as well the one done in 2018 by the Imagine Panaji Smart City Development Ltd (IPSCDL) to ascertain the structural safety.
The Dona Paula jetty is in dilapidated condition. The reinforcing steel bars in the structure stand exposed and are corroding posing a threat to hundreds of locals as well as tourists who visit the magnificent spot.
Sources confirmed that the decision was taken in a recently held meeting which was chaired by the Chief Secretary along with the IPSCDL, North Collector, Corporation of the City of Panaji (CCP), Captain of Ports (CoP) and the police.
The meeting highlighted the major concerns of the jetty that includes the current condition of the structure, which are the parts that need to be revamped, reallocation of vendors from the jetty and most importantly as to why the jetty was not closed earlier after IPSCDL had written it to the collector for immediate closure and what were the constrains.
Herald had reported that the North Goa district administration had decided to block public access to the Dona Paula jetty, as it is set to undergo major repairs under the Smart City Mission, but due to some constrains the plan was not executed.
The old Dona Paula jetty, which still exists next to the new one and acts as a breakwater, protecting the new jetty from the powerful waves, may be said to be in a better condition. GSIDC in April 2015 has more or less confirmed the condition of the jetty by ordering a Non-Destructive Test (NDT) on the jetty.
The NDT was cleverly phrased as a “structural audit of the Dona Paula jetty to ascertain its carrying capacity” by GSIDC so as not to alarm the citizens.
GSIDC’s former Managing Director Sanjit Rodrigues had told Herald at that time that GSIDC wanted to ascertain the “strength” of the jetty, that is, the structure’s capacity to carry benches, hawkers, shops, restaurants, etc.
The audit, he claimed, would help to contribute to Panjim’s master plan. But an NDT was very much part of the scope of the study.
Not surprisingly, the test report was kept top secret. According to the Central Public Works Department (CPWD) ‘Manual on Repair and Rehabilitation of RCC Buildings’, exposed steel rapidly corrodes and expands to 10 times its size, cracking the concrete around it and allowing permeability of atmospheric gases. This facilitates further and more rapid corrosion, especially in a chloride-rich marine environment.
Accelerated corrosion causes even greater cracking and then ‘spalling’ of concrete, exposing large sections of the steel reinforcement to the atmosphere. The process results in thinning of the steel reinforcement, ultimately leading to the possible collapse of the structure.
