the goan I network
PANAJI
Villages downstream of the Tillari dam located on the Maharashtra side of its border with Goa have been put on alert after irrigation officials of the neighbouring State have informed they will be releasing water from the dam from Thursday morning.
Sources in the Goa administration meanwhile have said that all the departments and emergency services have been geared up to meet possible exigiencies.”We have a Disaster Management System in place since the monsoon began and all related offices are on high alert anticipating the heavy rainfall. The control room of the Collectorate is functional 24X7”, South Goa Collector Ajit Roy, IAS, said.
Roy said there are no specific inputs about any emergency situation in South Goa but commuters traveling by trains have suffered due to diversion and cancellation of several operations due to water logging in the Mumbai Division of Central Railway.
In July, Goa faced floods after continuous heavy downpour forced irrigation officials both in Maharashtra and Goa to release water from multiple dams all at once. Low lying areas in almost entire North Goa was affected by the floods forcing the administration to swing into action and evacuate dozens of families from their homes facing the danger of being submerged.
Extensive damage was reported to horticultural crops as well as the standing paddy crop of the kharif season. The Goa government’s agriculture department however is yet to assess the damage and the losses suffered by farmers accurately, more than a month after the floods.
Meanwhile, Sanquelim, Pernem taluka received very heavy rainfall for the last two days while in other areas Panaji, Quepem, Dabolim, Sanguem, Ela (Old Goa), Mormugao and Canacona it rained heavily.
Met department has forecast heavy rainfall at many places over North Goa and
South Goa during subsequent four days.
Squally weather conditions (with wind speed reaching 45-55 km/hr) are likely over Maharashtra-Goa coast during next 2 days so met department has advised fishermen not to venture into the sea during the above period.
In the last 24 hours around 91.4 mm rainfall has fallen and the seasonal rainfall this year has crossed 325 cm in North Goa and it is 83 cm more than last year.
A few days back the areas in Ibrampur, Bicholim, Pernem went underwater as the water resource department officials from Maharastra were forced to release water from Tillari dam which suddenly reached to its maximum capacity due to heavy downpour. Around Rs 10 crore property loss is estimated in these areas.
It may be recalled that a flash flood occurred in Canacona due to heavy rainfall of about 271 mm that fell on 2 October 2009.
