After facing a shortfall of rainfall in June, Goa was pounded with a heavy downpour on Monday, and within a span of a few hours, there was a deluge all over, once again exposing the lack of preparedness.
The smart city was the worst hit with roads and markets flooded. The roads at the fast-developing prime Patto Plaza in the heart of Panaji were submerged. Water continued to flood the 18th June Road and made its way into business establishments. The poor condition of roads threw life out of gear for motorists who found it extremely difficult to negotiate the potholes. The water-logging at Goa Medical College Hospital inconvenienced patients and hindered the passage of ambulances, and the sub-ways at the GMC posed a greater risk as the water swell was dangerously inching towards the high-tension electric control panel.
The story of flooding in Panaji and other areas has been an annual one, and despite the many floods and cyclones that Goa has witnessed in the past three years, lessons have not been learnt. Surprisingly, against all the plans, the situation only got worse.
While the administration has in the past tried to cushion its failure against the wrath of Covid that gripped the State, there was an element of expectancy this year because life has hit normalcy and authorities raised hopes of better preparations and plans. If we may recall, there were detailed disaster management plans put up and vulnerable areas identified. In May, the collectors disclosed that detailed deliberations were held with stakeholders discussing mitigation measures, vulnerability assessment and the damage caused by floods and cyclones in the past few years. Also, cyclone shelters were kept ready in both North and South Goa.
Sadly, the SOPs put in place haven’t worked, and with barely 24 hours of rainfall, and much against the preparations that the administration has been talking about, the first fury of the monsoon gave a sinking feeling yet again. The pre-monsoon activities of desilting of drains and clearing debris haven’t helped. Besides Panaji and Margao, low-lying areas in Bicholim, Sanquelim, Canacona, Vasco, Paroda and Chorao continue to be prone to flooding. The weather forecast for Monday was heavy to extremely heavy spells of rains with gusty winds. The impact, according to MeT, was expected to inundate low-lying areas, flooding of fields and uprooting of trees. Goa is still in the early days of monsoon, and the months of July and August could bring in heavy rainfall. The people of Goa will find it extremely difficult to negotiate normal life if there is no change on the ground.
It’s time authorities focus on the flooding aspect more seriously without merely blaming it on the low-lying nature of the land. Something is seriously wrong with our planning if that’s the excuse offered. Those in the administration cannot be helpless spectators as the water rises and merely convene meetings. There has to be stock-taking, and those entrusted with disaster management plans must be held accountable. The reasoning that water will recede is not acceptable.
