MAPUSA
Residents of Bastora are increasingly anxious about potential flooding in their village due to heavy rains, attributing the risk to unchecked landfilling in nearby Guirim.
John Fernandes, a former panchayat member and resident of Xell, Bastora, voiced concerns that the rampant filling of paddy fields in Guirim, which serve as crucial water catchment areas, has exacerbated the flood risk. “Most people in Guirim have buried their fields and put up shops. When it rains heavily, all the water will be diverted to the fields in Bastora, submerging part of the village,” Fernandes warned.
Adding to the villagers’ worries, the Mapusa River (Tar River) section near Siddeshwar temple at Xell Bastora to the Tar bridge is silted and clogged with water weeds, obstructing the free flow of water. “The government and the Water Resources Department (WRD) have failed to clean the river before the monsoon. They only carry out cosmetic measures near the Tar bridge for publicity before Ganesh immersion,” Fernandes opined.
Three years ago, flooding in Guirim severely impacted Bastora, with the road leading to the village from the service road near Hotel Green Park junction completely submerged. The local administration had to erect barricades to prevent residents from using the flooded road.
Former deputy sarpanch Andrew D’Souza expressed concerns about the key road at the Bastora junction, pointing out the unresolved issue of mud accumulation. “They have not removed the mud accumulated on the side of the road near the Bastora junction. During heavy rain, water will accumulate along the road stretch,” D’Souza said.
Bastora Sarpanch Subhash Morajkar attributed delays in pre-monsoon work to the election code of conduct. “The file on pre-monsoon work was submitted a long time ago. We will undertake desilting of the entire village drains once the file is processed,” Morajkar assured. He mentioned that one side of the Tar River was desilted some time back and expressed hope that the situation would not worsen during the monsoon.
As Bastora braces for the monsoon, residents remain on edge, urging swift action to prevent a repeat of previous flooding disasters.
