Rains wreak havoc in many parts of Margao, Salcete

MARGAO, JUNE 26
Overnight heavy rains wrought havoc in many parts of  Margao and Salcete taluka, even  as the Margao-Quepem road was submerged under water at Paroda, disrupting vehicular traffic.
Deputy Collector Johnson Fernandes informed that flood waters entered into around 13 houses in Salcete, mostly in Margao and Mandopa-Dongorim area of Navelim village. A woman was rescued from her house at Rawanfond by fire personnel and local persons.
The deputy collector said the authorities distributed immediate relief to the affected parties amounting to Rs 20,000. Each affected household was provided relief of  Rs 1000 and Rs 2000 depending upon the damage caused to the household.
Traffic had to be diverted on the Quepem-Margao route following inundation of the road at Paroda. In Cuncolim, the market was flooded by heavy rains, even as reports that vehicular traffic on the NH-17 was disrupted in the wee hours at Uskiniarik for around two hours.
At Monte Hill, as many as half a dozen high tension electric poles were left damaged when the huge tree got uprooted and crashed against the over head line. A portion of the wall of the military camp at Monte hill was also damaged, even as the accumulated rain waters gushed into the houses of residents staying near Naguesh Garden in the wee hours of Saturday.
Fire personnel rushed to Monte Hill to clear the road for traffic, while linesmen worked to restore power supply to the area. Margao Municipal Councilor Ramdas Hazare said the incident occurred around 4.30 am, leaving 10 houses inundated by rain water.
A couple of houses were also inundated behind the Ravindra Bhavan in the city by the overflowing waters of the adjoining nullah. The inhabitants of the house complained that flood water entered their house, damaged household items.
The Rawanfond junction was totally submerged under waters since morning, completely disrupting vehicular traffic.
Chief Minister Digambar Kamat also visited the spot along with police and other officials for an assessment of the situation as reports spoke of flood waters entering residential houses in the locality. The fire brigade personnel and locals lent a helping hand to the marooned residents by evacuating them from the houses.
Flood waters also hit a couple of houses at  Karelem in Sirvodem ward when flood waters found its way in their housed this morning.
The station road was inundated at the old railway station, throwing vehicular traffic and business out of gear. The civic authorities attributed the flooding to the erection of a structure on a gutter.
Margao Municipal Chairperson Savio Coutinho has attributed the flooding at Rawanfond to the siltation of the adjoining rivulet at Jaknibandh and Mandopa.
He claimed the civic body had successfully desilted the water nullahs, but the problem at Rawanfond can be solved by desilting the rivulet at Mandopa and Jaknibandh.
He said the municipal authorities have been told to initiate action against the illegal structure on a gutter that was responsible  for flooding at the old railway station area.
Subway inundated: Flood waters inundated the Comba-Margao subway on Saturday, bringing  to a stop all vehicular traffic plying from the city to adjoining educational institutions.
Though the subway was submerged under six-feet of water, authorities failed to move in the area to erect barricades to stop the flow of traffic. A woman driving a car had a miraculous escape after the vehicle nearly landed in the subway.
Meanwhile, the River Sal was flowing in full spate on Saturday, inundating large tracks of low lying areas in Mungul, Khareband and Nuvem.
The Tolleband area of  Benaulim was submerged under water. So was the case in Mungul area, where the overflowing River Sal inundated the low lying fields.