MAPUSA
Timely intervention of the administration avoided a possible natural calamity at Moitem village of Assonora, as the overnight downpour led to sudden rise in water level in Assonora River.
With the swelling of the river, there was serious threat of water entering the houses on the banks in the village of Moitem in Assonora.
Locals blamed WRD and PWD officials for failing to open the gates of the bhandaras, which led to the sudden rise in the river level.
“With the heavy rains the debris from the nearby mega hotel project were washed down into the river and that also added to the problem,” said Jeetendra Shirgaonkar, a resident of Assonora.
Shirgaonkar further disclosed that due to power failure at crucial time the nearby Assonora Treatment Plant could not pump out the river water into the reservoir, which could have mitigated the problem to some level.
By noon, Bardez and Bicholim mamlatdars, PWD and WRD engineers rushed to the river site and took stock of the situation.
The PWD officials employed the services of a JCB to break open two doors of the bhandara to allow the water to flow freely down the stream.
“We have taken stock of the situation. With the opening of the bhandara doors water has receded considerably. The situation is under control,” assured Laxmikant Kuttikar, Mamlatdar of Bardez.
Recalling an incident from the past, locals in the area told The Goan that several houses were submerged in water some ten years back due to a similar situation.
“If it had to rain continuously water could have entered residential homes and the entire village could be flooded causing a natural calamity,” said Shirgaonkar, who is a member of Assonora Ekvott.
