PANAJI
One woman was feared drowned in Dharbandora while hundreds were evacuated and over 700 houses were damaged, as heavy rains and overflowing rivers wreaked havoc and inundated several areas, disrupted services and damaged property in eight talukas across the State on Friday.
While Chief Minister Pramod Sawant estimated that 700 houses had been damaged, he said the number could touch 1,000 as losses were being assessed. Deputy Chief minister Babu Kavlekar said floods had damaged 832 hectares of agricultural land, causing an estimated loss of Rs 2.55 crore.
The floods caused extensive damage in the talukas of Bicholim, Sattari, Pernem, Dharbandora, Sanguem, Quepem, Bardez and Ponda.
Three families comprising 25 people were evacuated by firefighters at Supachi Pud in Harvalem and 10 persons were rescued in Sal, while about 50 people were rescued from different parts of Sattari and eight persons were evacuated in Pernem taluka.
At Harvalem, people were rescued in boats, while others were evacuated using ropes in Padeli-Sattari.
There were also reports of 18 houses being damaged and 84 people evacuated in Sanguem taluka, 167 houses damaged and 9 persons evacuated in Bardez, 135 houses damaged and 150 people evacuated in Dharbandora taluka.
Many of the rescued people were shifted to relief camps, while others were moved to houses of relatives and friends.
With water being released from dams and the rivers overflowing, water quickly flooded residential areas in several villages across the four talukas.
Flooded roads made it difficult for emergency agencies during search and rescue operations.
The Sankhali and Valvanti rivers began overflowing after crossing the danger level and water entered houses at Harvalem. Lifeguards from the Captain of Ports and firefighters then began evacuating people to safer areas.
At Usgao, four school buses were submerged near the church, while water also flooded the religious structure. Livestock was also killed due to floods in a church property in Velus-Sattari.
A bridge also collapsed due to heavy flow of river water at Paikul-Sattari, while a bridge was damaged due to heavy flow of water at Pelavade-Sattari.
In Sattari, the water suction unit at the water treatment plant was flooded at Dabos.
Houses and roads were also flooded in Collem, Shigao and Sangod-Mollem villages, while several parts of Amona got submerged underwater due to heavy rains.
Helicopters were pressed into service for relief operations in Dharbandora and Ponda talukas.
In Pernem, 88 houses were damaged while flooding was reported in seven villages as water began to overflow from the Chapora river. Eight people were evacuated and shifted to the houses of their relatives, while 615 people were affected by the floods.
The houses which sustained damages were in Ibrampur and Dhargal (25 each), Casarvornem (15), Chandel (10), Haspaur (5), Alorna (6) and Ozarim (2). Electricity and telecommunication services were disrupted in many parts of Pernem taluka.
A train derailed due to a landslide on Braganza Ghat section along the Londa and Kulem railway route but there were no casualties. Many trains were either cancelled or partially cancelled due to landslides on Braganza Ghat.
Landslides were also reported at the Chorla ghat and other routes, while traffic along the Goa-Belagavi NH4A was disrupted as a bridge over river Malaprabha was flooded.
Floods also disrupted interstate bus services along the Mumbai-Goa route and many buses were held up in Chiplun.
