Visitors wade through water at the entrance of South District Hospital; parking area outside remains flooded.
Photo Credits: Santosh Mirajkar
MARGAO
Heavy pre-monsoon showers on Tuesday exposed gaps in Margao’s monsoon preparedness. Several areas, including the Margao Municipal square and the area outside the South Goa District Hospital, were flooded.
Services in the Margao Municipal Council’s trade and taxation section were affected in the morning due to water seepage. Rainwater entered the office through the rooftop after continuous overnight rain, reaching even the technical section below.
Bundles of files had to be moved from the administrative section, which also saw water seepage. With no proper gutter system in place, water was seen flowing near the flagpole on the first floor of the Municipal building.
After the issue was reported to Civic Chief Damu Shirodkar, Municipal workers inspected the site and found that some roof tiles were loose. Once the workers fixed the tiles, water stopped entering the building.
At the Margao KTC bus stand, gaddas also experienced waterlogging. The gadda owners blamed the situation on the nearby drain, raising concerns over whether it had been properly de-silted as part of monsoon readiness.
Late Tuesday night, a compound wall of a residential building collapsed in Borda. Fortunately, no injuries were reported.
Area outside district hospital flooded
Like last year, the entrance and parking area of the South Goa District Hospital were flooded by the pre-monsoon showers. Patients and visitors had to walk through water to enter the hospital.
Sources pointed out that the same areas were flooded last year as well, raising questions about whether the issue was ever fixed.
“This should be a wake up call to the authorities to find out the source of water flowing towards the hospital entrance and the parking lot. The Collector should intervene and fix the issue by directing the authorities to resolve the problem before the onset of monsoons,” remarked a visitor to the hospital.
Municipal square flooded
Heavy rain on Tuesday evening led to waterlogging on the roads around the Margao Municipal square. The flooding has raised doubts about whether clogged drains are to blame. A citizen questioned the recurring issue, saying,
“We are witnessing this situation every monsoons. The MMC has an team of engineers who should find out the source of the water logging and initiate measures to mitigate the hardships faced by the citizens.”
