Mapusa civic council says pre-monsoon work on track

The civic body is expected to complete cleaning of all drainage and storm water lines, nullahs and culverts by the month end.

According to civic officials, the municipal council may not be able to take up road repair work as was planned earlier. Mapusa MLA Joshua D’Souza had said all internal roads in Mapusa would be hotmixed before the monsoon.

Monsoon is expected to arrive in Goa in the first week of June and MMC aims to finish the pre-monsoon work by May end.

“Some daily wage workers we had engaged have gone back home after the announcement of lockdown like restrictions. But we are managing with the permanent workers,” said Clen Madeira, Chief Officer of MMC.

“We have completed almost 70 per cent of cleaning of drains in most of the wards,” he added.

The chief officer has written to the water resources department to undertake desilting work of 13 major nullahs while also requesting the PWD to clean nine major cross drains and a culvert near Garden Centre in town.

“Due to the fast approaching monsoon season, there is an urgent need to undertake desilting work of nullahs and cross drains situated within the jurisdiction of this council, in order to avoid water logging of low lying areas and causing flood like situation,” Madeira said.

He has also written to the Captain of Ports on the need to dredge/desilt the Tar River.

“The major nullahs originating from Khorlim, Dattawadi, Ansabhat etc and moving via Morod ends in river Tar and hence, the river becomes main source for discharge of rain water and also serves as catchment area,” he said.

“The level of river bed has increased considerably due to non-dredging of stretch of Tar River near the bridge and hence there is urgent need to desilt the bed of this river by way of dredging,” he added, requesting the CoP to take up the dredging work on top priority before the onset of monsoon.