Residents say new buildings, land-filling block natural water flow, trigger flooding
DEVELOPMENT AT A COST: Waterlogging on the Duler road this season highlights how civic authorities’ failure to study drainage before issuing construction licenses is creating new flood zones. Photo by Shekar Naik
Wednesday’s heavy downpour once again left large portions of Mapusa under water, flooding the Cunchelim and Duler roads with knee-deep water.
While residents were relieved that the notorious Usapkar junction at Khorlim escaped inundation this time after the civic body upgraded its main drain, concerns are mounting over why new areas are now flooding even after just 10 minutes of heavy rain.
Locals argue that the unchecked rise in constructions, filling of low-lying areas, and blocking of natural water flow have altered the town’s drainage patterns, creating fresh trouble spots.
“Cunchelim flooding has been happening every year. The road goes under water within minutes of heavy rainfall,” said Santosh Chari, a shopkeeper from the area.
“But what is shocking is the Duler main road. This is the second time this monsoon that it has gone under water. Earlier, we never had this problem,” he added.
Several residents in Duler pointed to new construction projects in and around the locality.
“Buildings are coming up on every open space. Low-lying areas are being filled. Naturally, the water has nowhere to go but on the road,” said Ashton D’Souza, a resident of Duler.
Officials admit that the issue is partly linked to haphazard development.
A senior Mapusa Municipal Council (MMC) engineer, speaking on condition of anonymity, said: “The town’s natural drainage channels have been disturbed over the years due to landfilling and constructions. Even stormwater drains are unable to handle the sudden flow as they remain clogged with silt and waste.”
At Cunchelim, residents say they have grown accustomed to the waterlogging.
“It has become an annual affair. The road is not motorable even if it rains heavily for 10 minutes,” said another resident.
While the MMC recently undertook work at Khorlim to ease chronic flooding at Usapkar junction – which did show positive results in Wednesday’s showers – residents insist that piecemeal solutions will not work.
“They fix one spot, but waterlogging shifts to another. Unless authorities look at the town’s drainage network as a whole, these problems will only grow worse,” warned D’Souza.
