PANAJI: Incessant rains accompanied by gusty winds lashed the state on Saturday. People throughout the state were put to hardships due to the rains. Normal life was thrown out of gear due to water-logging, falling of trees and mudslides. Though the rains led to destruction of properties, no casualty was reported from any part of the state.
Many roads throughout the state were rendered impassable as trees uprooted by the rains, caused road blockages. The rains also caused flooding in major markets throughout the state. At many places, trees also came down crashing on houses. Interruptions to power supply also occurred throughout the state.
Property worth thousands destroyed in Pernem
PERNEM: Rains accompanied by gusty winds continued to lash Pernem taluka on Saturday uprooting trees and bringing down sludge and boulders at various places. This has kept the fire personnel on their toes. The fire personnel could be seen engaged in clearing the trees which had collapsed on the roads and on houses in various parts of the Pernem taluka.
Due to the heavy rains, two huge bhendi trees collapsed in Arambol of which one collapsed on the houses of Mr Namdev Quepkar causing a loss of around Rs 10,000 while a property of around Rs 25,000 was saved and on the house of Mr Ashok Quepkar causing loss of around Rs 5,000 and the saved property was worth around Rs 10,000. In another incident in Arambol at Girkarwaddo, a bhendi tree collapsed on the road and damaged electric wires. In another incident of bhendi tree collapsed on a hut of Mr Kale Parab from Virnoda, according to the information available from the Pernem fire station.
According to the information, a huge mango tree collapsed on the main road at Paliem blocking the road for quite some time. Apart from this, a bhendi tree collapsed on a road at Ugvem inconveniencing the motorists.
Water logging was also witnessed at many places and some fields are inundated with water bringing a halt to the farming activities. Farmers will only be able to continue with the farming activities once the water recedes. Several power supply interruptions were reported during the day due to rains.
Farming activities
hampered in Bicholim
BICHOLIM: Incessant, torrential rains that lashed Bicholim taluka on Saturday disrupted normal life and farming activities. There were reports of falling of trees, house damages in Bicholim taluka.
According to sources, a huge banyan tree uprooted and fell on the Homkund ghumti at Shirigaon in Bicholim causing damages. However, since the tree fell during Friday night, no one was injured.
The banyan tree which is very old is believed to be sacred where devotees perform Agnidivya during Shri Lairai Deity’s Jatrotsav. Two houses belonging to Parwar families at Amona partially collapsed due to heavy rains.
However, water level of Bicholim river and Valvanti river was below the danger mark. The water resource department officers, fire services, police personnel and other concerned authorities are vigilant and fully prepared to handle any eventualities.
Due to incessant, heavy rainfall through out the day, farming activities were affected and farmers had to wait for the rain to take a respite. However, people heaved a sigh of relief as rains subsided later in the evening on Saturday. There were no reports of any measure damages and loss to property.
Water floods many
coastal areas in S Goa
MARGAO: Incessant rains since Friday and the entire day on Saturday led to flooding in many low lying areas, particularly at Pedda and Sukko band in Ambelim which are vulnerable to flooding in monsoons.
Taking not of the rise in water level at some areas in Pedda and Suko band in Ambelim, the deputy collector, South Mr Johnson Fernandes who had rushed to the village gave instructions to the talathi to shift some residents for safety reasons.
However, according to the sarpanch of Ambelim village panchayat, Mr Cruz Silva, the residents who were advised to shift refused to do so as there was some respite in the afternoon when the water which had risen alarmingly began to recede. Mr Cruz Silva confirmed that till late Saturday evening no one has shifted.
The sarpanch said that it is difficult for the people to shift on short notices. He said altogether there are three sluice gates in the area, adding that two have been opened by the authorities concerned by one is yet to be opened. He said that there is an urgent need to open this sluice gate.
Meanwhile, low-lying areas at Chandor and Parado were completely flooded. Sources disclosed that some areas near the Ravindra Bhavan in Margao and other low-lying areas were also flooded and that seven families have been asked to shift immediately and that arrangements have been made for their accommodation by the district administration.
In some parts of Salcete like Benaulim, power supply went off in the morning as a branch of a tamarind tree came down crashing on the electricity wires, snapping the lines right on the busy road near the Benaulim panchayat area. However, by around noon the power supply was restored. At Majorda too, an electricity wire snapped off due to the high speed winds near Azilo at Calata and power went off for sometime which was then restored after residents complained to the nearest power station at Majorda.
It was informed that some areas at Betalbatim and Colva too were flooded in the morning but by the afternoon, things turned normal. Sarpanchas from the costal belt like Majorda, Colva, Varca, Cavelossim and Carmona have advised people to be careful as they come out on the streets. It was informed that since the soil has been completely soaked by the rain water, there are high chances of trees getting uprooted. However, not a single incident of tree uprooting was reported till late this evening.
Rains inconvenience
people in Vasco
VASCO: Incessant rains that lashed the state since Friday evening have turned the life of people in the port town of Vasco miserable. People had to face hardships due to road blockages owing to uprooting of several trees, falling of compound walls, minor landslides and water-logging at various parts.
The limited manpower at the Vasco fire station had a tough time in responding to the emergency calls from different locations since Friday evening. The Vasco fire personnel attended to over 10 emergency calls since 11.45 p.m on Friday. There were no reports of any casualty, but damages were reported to public property.
The heavy downpour resulted in uprooting of an old ashoka tree opposite the IDBI Bank on Saturday morning. The tree damaged the tubular electric pole in the road divider along Swatantra Path. This is second of its kind incident which has occurred along the Swatantra Path within a week’s time.
Another huge tree that collapsed at Matvem-Dabolim at around 7 a.m. blocked NH17 Vasco-Cortalim highway thereby paralysing vehicular traffic for nearly an hour. In another incident, an ashoka tree opposite the Vasco JMFC building tilted towards the ground. In yet another incident, a huge tree collapsed near the Jetty road. Some coconut trees collapsed at Mundvel, Vaddem and near the Our Lady of Candelaria Church at Samsollem, Baina. Incidents of collapse of compound walls were reported from Pinky Shipyard at Zorint, near Pai Nursing Home at Vaddem and at Vaddem Nagar at New- Vaddem.
In yet another incident, a minor landslide was triggered by heavy rains behind Daud Mujawar House at Rumdawada, Jetty during Friday midnight. However luckily it did not cause damage to property or human life. People residing in houses on the cliff at Rumdawada are apprehensive about the safety of their houses. Water logging incidents were observed at various places wherein vehicles passing from the road have to take care of the potholes.
Meanwhile, the SMS news flash of flooding of houses in the locality of Merces-Vaddem and Baina arose panic among the people in the port town of Vasco. However, the deputy collector and sub-divisional magistrate, Mormugao, Mr Levinson Martins and Mormugao Mamlatdar, Mr Rajesh Azgaonkar rubbished the reports as false. In view of upcoming Shree Damodar Bhajani Saptah celebration, the Mormugao municipality has been urged by Mr Pratap Gawas to trim old ashoka trees located on the either sides of
Swatantra Path in Vasco.
Major mudslides in Canacona
CANACONA: Incessant rains lashed most parts of South Goa on Saturday causing incidents of landslides and uprooting of trees which disturbed normal life. In one of the major landslides that occurred at Kindlem-Pansulem near Shri K B High School, the newly-constructed house of Mr Anand Desai
was damaged.
Major landslides also took place at Sadolxem-Didketar near Panyefond and the road was partially blocked for traffic, causing hardships to the local residents and school students. The Canacona Fire Brigade personnel informed that trees at many places were uprooted and road was also partially blocked. The Canacona police informed that the landslides took place at Kindlem-Pansulem at about 8.30 a.m. but luckily no one was injured.
Mr Rama Naik Gaonkar, a social worker from Kindlebhag informed the Canacona Police and Fire Brigade and personally took interest in removing the sludge near the house of Mr Anand Desai.
Mr Rama Naik Gaonkar informed ‘The Navhind Times’ that landslides are taking place at Panayefond for the last three years but the government has not taken any initiative to construct a protection wall. He requested the Canacona Mamlatdar and Deputy Collector to take initiatives to prevent landslides in future.
Under the supervision of the Canacona Deputy Collector, Mr Dipak Desai, police inspector and engineers of PWD, labourers were seen removing the sludge from the road.
A huge cashew tree landed on the residential house of Mr Bhiso Laxman Gaonkar of Saturlim, Gaondongrem, Canacona and caused damage to two rooms besides the roofing, which is estimated to the tune of Rs 70,000, informed the Fire Station sub-officer Mr K D Sail.
In the second incident that took place at Shirewada at Nagorcem, Canacona, Ms Suman V Desai suffered a loss of around Rs 25,000 when a mango tree came crashing on her residential house whereby a part of roofing and asbestos sheets have been damaged.
In yet another incident, an old tree came crashing on the residential house of Mr Vithobha Gaonkar damaging the roof and tiles, informed Mr Sail.
