the goan I network
PANAJI
Goa was battered by incessant rain on Wednesday paralysing normal life and affecting business and crucially the operations of Goa’s Dabolim airport.
The incessant showers caused inundation in several low lying areas but fortunately did not claim any lives or injuries even though reports of minor landslides, road accidents emerged from different parts of the state.
The showers began before dawn and continued through the day battering the state. Between 8:30 am and 5:30 pm the Panaji station of the Meteorological Department recorded 80mm of rainfall, which is “more than usual” for this period.
Normal life and businesses were affected with traders reporting fewer footfalls while as many as 16 flights at Goa’s Dabolim airport had to be turned back because of poor visibility conditions at the airport.
The runway resumed service later in the evening.
The Panaji fire station, however, did not have an unusually busy day with fire station officer saying that there were no rescues or tree crashes reported as the heavy rains were not accompanied by unusually strong winds.
In Vasco, two boulders came crashing down on the road following a landslide at Jetty in Sada. The landslide occurred at about 4.30 pm. Mormugao PI Shailesh Narvekar notified the deputy collector’s office, who, in turn, pressed other departments concerned to take stock of the situation.
The area was barricaded by police to warn people of landslides in the area, while the Mormugao Municipal Council staff cleared the boulders from the road and electricity department staff disconnected electricity from a pole near the landslide zone.
With consistent heavy rains lashing the port town, water was reported to be seeping from the walls of Vasco police station while the staff of the Baina police outpost had to work with umbrellas as the false ceiling gave way after a tree came crashing on
its roof.
Mapusa also bore the brunt of heavy rains with several parts including the famed municipal market getting flooded.
Several city roads experienced water logging inconveniencing motorists and pedestrians alike due to the steady downpour during the entire day. Fire brigade office received at least half a dozen calls of trees falling on roads and on power lines in various parts of Bardez.
A late evening three-hour torrential rain flooded key roads “ Usapkar junction in Khorlim and Duler junction in the city.
Till late in the evening The Goan received calls of water entering in people’s homes from different areas of the city. Locals said that water entered in business premises and residential homes in Khorlim. Water rushed inside the stationary shop of Audumbar Karekar, at Usapkar junction and a popular flour mill in Khorlim.
A house was partially damaged and the family had to shift to a safer place, as heavy rains caused considerable damage and disrupted normal life in Bicholim taluka while elsewhere in Siolkarwada-Bicholim, the roof tiles of the house belonging to Shobhavati Parwar were blown away due to strong winds.
Incidents of trees falling on roads and electricity cables, causing power outages, were reported in different parts of Bicholim taluka.
The main Ashvem-Mandrem road was blocked due to a landslide at Ashvem-Mandrem, paralysing traffic along the route.
