MAPUSA
After a weekend of misery for motorists and residents, the Public Works Department (PWD) and Mapusa Municipal Council (MMC) staff swung into action at the Usapkar Junction in Khorlim on Monday morning, attempting to address the recurrent flooding that has become a seasonal nightmare at the busy junction.
Armed with crowbars and shovels, MMC workers helped lift heavy concrete slabs covering the drains, before clearing out the muck and debris that had blocked the water flow.
The clean-up drive came after the junction remained waterlogged for two consecutive days, disrupting traffic and leaving several households and shops in the vicinity inundated.
“This monsoon alone, the junction has gone under water at least six times whenever there has been heavy rain,” said a shop owner, pointing to water stains that had crept well above the door sill of his premises.
The PWD, facing a manpower crunch, requisitioned municipal staff to assist with the emergency operation.
Officials acknowledged that while removing the blockages in the drains would provide some temporary relief, the problem was far more complex.
“The flooding at Usapkar Junction is not just about choked drains. There is a larger issue of storm water management in this part of Mapusa,” said a PWD engineer supervising the clean-up.
“We have taken immediate steps to clear the flow, but for a permanent solution, the drainage system will have to be redesigned and upgraded. Unless long-term measures are put in place, the flooding will keep recurring,” he added.
Residents meanwhile expressed both relief and frustration “ relief that the authorities had finally responded, and frustration that the problem returns year after year without a comprehensive fix.
Locals remain wary, knowing that the next heavy downpour could again turn Usapkar Junction into a water pool.
