Rain package
THEGOAN NETWORK
PANAJI/MARGAO
Strongwinds and heavy rain continued to batter the State on Sunday, even asthe preparedness of the disaster management agencies was put to test.The most busiest was the fire brigade which attended to severalemergency calls, most of them relating to uprooting of trees.
BothNorth and South Goa witnessed rain fury in the form water-logging anduprooting of trees. While the capital city witnessed water-logging inmany areas, the commercial town too experienced the pit falls of badplanning on account of the rain.
In Davorlim awoman was taken to hospital with injuries after a tree fell on her.
Traffic inMargao town was disrupted around noon after a tree from the municipalgarden came crashing down on the main road oppositethe the OldCollectorate. A portion of the compound wall of the municipal gardenwas damaged in the incident.
Twocars were left damaged near Naguesh garden at Monte Hill after anuprooted tree landed on the parked vehicles.
Acoconut tree fell on a house near Power House (Aquem).
Suchinstances were reported near Colva police station, Parikatto(Cuncolim), Davorlim, Colva beach, Navelim, Benaulim and Colva.
Twotransformers were damaged at Sao Jose de Areal while one high-tensionpower line was also damaged at Gudi-Paroda, informed fire officials.
Margaocity witnessed power failure for most part of the day after aninternal transformer at the Aquem power sub-station exploded in themorning.
TheComba sub-way was inundated for the second day today, disruptingtraffic.
Meanwhile,sources informed The Goan that services on the Konkan Railway routewere normalised, except for the Konkan Kanya Express which had to bere-scheduled.
Salcete’scoastal belt also bore the brunt of nature’s fury as the coast wasbattered by strong cyclonic winds uprooting dozens of trees, besideselectric poles, even as people to remain without power throughout theday.
Theelectricity department suffered losses of over Rs 10-11 lakh onaccount of damage to its power lines. It claimed that more than sevenelectric poles were uprooted and power lines of three-four kms weredamaged.
Evenas social activist Judith Almeida and other villagers from Colva,Benaulim and Cavelossim cried foul over the inordinate delay inrestoring power supply, power officials attributed the situation tothe damage caused to the electric poles.
“Peoplein Colva and other villages had to suffer since Friday night for wantof power supply,” Judith lamented, while calling for a detailedknow how of the infrastructure and man power requirements of thepower department.
ExecutiveEngineer Santosh Lolienkar said poles were uprooted and damaged inBenaulim, Colva and Betalbatim. Though we managed to restore a 22-KVline, what made matters worse was that there were many problemsregarding a low-tension line as well, he said.
Whilepower supply was restored in Benaulim by 7 pm, the power officialswere on the job to restore power supply at Colva.
MargaoFire Officer Gill Souza said, “We had despatched one vehicle toattend to calls received from Cavelossim-Varca belt and the personnelreturned back only late Sunday noon”, Gill informed.
CANACONA
Residentsin many areas had to go without power supply until 11 am on Saturday.Fire personnel were kept busy from Friday mid-night and throughoutSaturday attending to calls at different places.
Uprootingof trees was reported from Padi, Palolem and Canacona police station.In Poinguinim a tree fell on a garage and in Nagarcem a coconut treebrought down an electric pole throwing the entire locality indarkness. Electricity personnel restored power supply by 11 am onSaturday.
Acoconut tree also fell on the house of Kuldip Mhalshi at Shristhal.
Fishermentoo feared damages to their fishing vessels kept on the shore afterstrong waves pounded the Palolem coast. They kept a watchful eye onthe sea, especially at high tide time on Saturday afternoon. Over 60fishing boats are anchored at Palolem beach for want of space.
VASCO
Mostparts of Vasco city were without power supply from Saturday nighttill Sunday evening.
TheVasco fire services were on their toes in the port town from Fridaynight till Sunday evening, busy clearing trees, branches and damagedelectricity wires in various parts of Vasco and Sancoale. “OnSunday, we received six calls informing us about uprooting of trees.A shop was totally damaged after a jackfruit tree came crushing downon it at New Vaddem and it also snapped the electricity lines,” thefire official said.
AtMatvem-Dabolim and Sancoale, coconut trees got uprooted and damagedelectricity wires and poles blocked the main road, while at MangorHill branches of trees snapped electricity wires.
Powerofficials declined to assure when power supply would be restoredinmost parts of the port town.
PERNEM
Residentsin Pernem taluka blamed the authorities for not carrying outpre-monsoon works, due to which water logging was witnessed in manyareas.
Speakingto The Goan, NCP Goa state unit secretary Rajan Satelkar expressedanguish over the water-logging problem.
Residentslamented the nullahs at Agarwada-Chopdem area were not cleaned.
Themain roads in Morjim, Mardiwada and Munnagwada were submergedunderwater.
Whencontacted, Morjim Sarpanch Vaishali Shetgaonkar said people shouldconstruct their houses by keeping a safe distance from the road.
Speakingto The Goan, former sarpanch Dhananjay Shetgoankar said this year theponds and nullhas in the village are cleaned. He said water-loggingwas witnessed where there are no gutters.
ChiefMinister and local MLA Laxmikant Parsekar appealed to the people fromPernem taluka and others to construct their houses at some distancefrom the roads to enable the free flow of rainwater.
PONDA
Localsinformed that cyclonic winds led to destruction of power lines inBhoma and staff of electricity department were summoned to restoreit. A mango tree fell on three houses belonging to Eknath Naik, SunilNaik and Vaman Naik at Bhoma, who suffered losses. Even the cementroof sheets of some houses blew away with gusty winds.
Whencontacted, Kundaim fire station informed that till 4.30 pm they hadreceived seven calls pertaining to falling of trees. “We areclearing the trees one by one. There were incidents of uprooting atKuncolim (Keri road), Priol, Bhoma, and near Kundai Panchayat.”firestation staff informed.
Pondafire station received about 13 calls. Two houses at Shiroda weredamaged after trees fell on them, while at two places trees fell onthe roads. Two houses were damaged at Curti and Khandepar.
InAgapur-Durbhat, a house was damaged after a tree fell on it. Anotherincident was reported from Sacorda in Dharbandora taluka, where atree fell on a house.
BICHOLIM
About15 trees got uprooted in different parts of Bicholim on Sunday.
Ajack fruit tree fell on a car and badly damaged a vehicle atHarvalem. Reports of damage to two houses at Kharpal-Dodamarg werealso received. Mulgao, Madhalawada-Sal, Shirodwadi-Mulgao, Pilgao,Surla, Pale, Amona, Mayem-Bicholim and Surla Navelim too witnessedwidespread damages to property.
Photocaption.Fire men on the job to cut away a treethat crashed onvehicles nearNaguesh Garden, Margao. Photo by SantoshMirajkar.
Photocaption.A tree that came crashing down on the roadopposite theoldcollectorate building, Margao.
