Saturday and Sunday saw the state witness unusually high tides in several parts of the state, but one was especially pronounced in the island villages of Divar, Chorao and Santo Estevam where the river level went higher than the level of the ferry ramps and even the bundhs rendering the villages inaccessible for as long as the tide remained high.
A similar phenomenon was witnessed in the state capital where areas like Patto, the Rua de Ourem were waterlogged despite there not being very heavy rain and instead the water from the creek flowing back up the drains and onto the road. Scenes like this have become increasingly common.
The river level crossing higher than the height of the island has become a regular occurrence and has been occurring for the last six years straight. Yet it is being treated like it is unlikely to recur. But if the data as well as anecdotal evidence is anything to go by, what was once considered extreme weather in terms of rainfall has now become a regular phenomenon leading to the belief that a ‘regular’ monsoon is a thing of the past.
Consider this -- Goa has received excess rainfall in each of the last six years at least with fields and homes being destroyed, islands flooded and even lives lost. Yet the government is yet to look at the issue holistically and continues such occurrences as if they will be one-off incidents. Instead, what we need is to realise that this is the ‘new normal’ and if anything the weather and water levels will only get worse in the years to come.
Rather than sit and wait, hoping the situation will get better, it is extremely important that the government begins preparing for the future. It is essential that the government not only repairs the bundhs but also increases the height of the bundhs, the ramps and the connecting roads to make them resilient to climate change. If neglected the river will soon rise above the bundhs and completely destroy the fields and also cause severe erosion washing away large tracts of island land that is currently protected by the bundhs.
Similarly the state capital of Panaji too needs to be made resilient to climate change -- which is now unfortunately inevitable -- as despite verbal agreements and assurances, it is clear that societies across the world are doing little if anything to reduce fossil fuels.
Despite verbal assurances to the contrary, even a single visit through the island villages of Goa will reveal what the ground situation really is. While some bundhs have been repaired, crucial outer bundhs are rapidly eroding and are only held together by the roots of the mangroves. Water has regularly inundated the road leading from the ferry points to the village making commuting very difficult for villagers leaving them marooned and protective mechanisms at a breaking point.
These features will not heal themselves but will instead only get worse over time. It is high time the government recognizes the problem for what it is -- stops pretending it will go away on its own -- and acts decisively.
