BENAULIM: In the light of the report by the Water Resources Department (WRD) which has now warned that there will be flooding if the Western Bypass passing through Benaulim is built on embankments, questions have been raised if the State government will still go ahead with its plan of building the bypass on embankments.
In the absence of any order from the government stating that work on the western bypass through Benaulim will stop, there have been demands from the locals of Benaulim that the proposed survey to be conducted by a hydrologist be expedited, which would support their demand for the bypass to be built on stilts.
It may be recalled that WRD had jointly inspected Tolleabandh, Benaulim along with the Disaster Management Team (DMA) on July 5, 2022, when that area had got flooded.
In WRD’s inspection report, it confirmed that the flooding and related havoc that was caused had taken place at a time when there is no Western Bypass at present in this area. In that report, WRD said the flooding may become more complex and may result in worse conditions after the Western Bypass is completed.
“Al the low-lying catchment areas within 500m of River Sal are filled to the brim due to continuous heavy rainfall and the high tide was still to come. All this flooding is when the Western Bypass is still not constructed on an embankment,” said WRD Assistant Engineer (AE) Sainath M Jamakhandi, in the report.
WRD also referred to the ‘possibility of disaster to life, livelihood, and property of the local inhabitants in future needs to be considered in going ahead with the construction of the western bypass on embankments in the said reach.’
“Seeing the site condition and the increasing incessant changing rainfall patterns, it can be concluded that there is a high possibility of flood waters to rise at a magnified level in the future if the Western Bypass is constructed on embankment filling for the remaining portion from the railway line till Khareband –Varca road,” the AE added.
WRD further recommended to ‘have the model study with an expert hydrologist to avoid the worst circumstances in future that may occur on development along the bank of River Sal’.
“WRD has clearly accepted for the first time that based on this fact finding report that flooding is imminent. WRD engineers had prepared their initial report (on the intensity of rains) based on topo sheets but they only have seen that the ground reality does not match,” said Benaulim MLA Venzy Viegas.
While he added that he would follow up regarding the survey to be done by a hydrologist, he pointed out that the PWD Minister had also given an assurance in the Assembly that a hydrologist would be appointed. The MLA added that adequate documentary evidence has been generated, which can be shown in the court too in order to get the bypass built on stilts.
“The entire topography has changed due to various constructions, hill cutting and the entire biodiversity has been affected. WRD has seen that water which would never enter our side has started coming now,” Viegas added.
