MARGAO
When Union Road Surface Transport Minister Nitin Gadkari’s envoy R K Pandey stood on the Khareband bridge in mid-July last year to have a look at the floodplains of Khareband-Benaulim, he was saddened by the plight of the River Sal and its drainage capability.
Pandey raised the question of why the people of Goa had allowed the river to degenerate into the present state of affairs. The expert pointed out that unless the river is de-silted and strengthened with protective bunds, the flooding plaguing Benaulim would not be resolved even if the western bypass is built on stilts along the Tolleaband stretch of the bypass.
Pandey’s brief in Goa was to ascertain the causes of flooding around the Khareband-Benaulim floodplains and suggest measures to contain flooding. Pandey was sent to Goa after Goa Forward Chief Vijai Sardesai had called on Union Minister Nitin Gadkari with a plea to build the Benaulim stretch of the bypass on stilts.
It’s another matter that the demands of villagers for construction of the western bypass on stilts on the Benaulim stretch of the bypass did not find favour with the central envoy. Pandey, however, had made a host of recommendations in August 2023 to the Goa government in a bid to contain flooding along the flood plains of River Sal at Benaulim.
Almost a year now, Pandey’s recommendation is a subject matter of debate as the flood plains of River Sal along the western bypass alignment, right from Benaulim, Mungul, Seraulim and Nuvem are submerged under water for the last four days. Sadly, even as the PWD, National Highway has been found working round-the-clock to complete the bypass along the Benaulim stretch to meet the High Court’s September 2024 deadline, similar urgency has not been displayed to implement R K Pandey’s recommendations on the ground till date.
Has River Sal been de-silted, dredged?
Pandey’s report containing the recommendations were submitted to the PWD, National Highway, but the PWD forwarded the report to the Water Resources Department (WRD) since de-silting and dredging work falls within the WRD’s domain.
Benaulim locals pointed out that the River Sal has neither been de-silted nor dredged and neither are the river's embankments strengthened with protective bundhs since Pandey submitted his report to the PWD in August last year.
All that the local villagers had witnessed in Benaulim at the River Sal is the mechanical weeding of the river along the Benaulim stretch and nothing else, throwing up a moot question -- why is the Goa government dragging its feet to revive the River Sal via de-silting and strengthening it bundhs.
A villager Rudolf Barretto questioned why the government did not show the same zeal and enthusiasm in implementing R K Pandey’s recommendations when the PWD is working round the clock to complete the western bypass sans stilts. “Pandey had made the recommendation to restore the River Sal and also help mitigate flooding. Let the government show what steps have been initiated to implement Pandey’s recommendations so far,” he said.
Building of additional culverts
The central expert had recommended additional culverts and increasing the size of the existing culverts on the Benaulim-Varca road for quick drainage of water from the Tolleaband body to the adjoining River Sal.
What had prompted Pandey to recommend additional culvers was the fact that the PWD had provided for 10 culverts along the 650-metre long stretch of the Western bypass passing through the Tolleaband water body, while there were just two culverts on the Benaulim-Varca road.
The PWD has started work on construction of a new culvert near the Mercado shopping mall. Why the PWD did not plan and executed couple of culverts on the Benaulim-Varca road ahead of the monsoons is a question that remains unanswered till date.
No doubt, the Water Resources department had deployed heavy machinery to de-silt the culverts for quick drainage of water from Tolleaband to the River Sal, but the exercise fell short to contain the floods caused by incessant and heavy rains over a week.
Reverse water flow
Another important area government authorities will have to address on priority is the reverse water flow and the inundation of water catchment areas along the flood plains of River Sal. If Goa Forward Chief MLA Vijai Sardesai had complained of reverse water flow at Mungul-Davondem and other areas a week ago, the situation has further aggravated in the last four days, with large tracts of low lying fields of Benaulim, Mungul, Seraulim, Nuvem submerged under water.
Questions are raised about why there’s no quick drainage of the flood waters, and whether the backflow of water has anything to do with the construction of the western bypass or the debris lining along the alignment.
