THEGOAN NETWORK
PANAJI
Strong winds and heavy rain continuedto batter the State on Sunday, even as the preparedness of thedisaster management agencies was put to test. The most busiest wasthe fire brigade which attended to several emergency calls, most ofthem relating to uprooting of trees.
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 restored inmost 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 mayareas.
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 submerged underwater.
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 Persekar 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.”fire station 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.
: Salcete’s coastal belt bore the brunt ofnature’s fury on Sundayas the coast was battered by strong cyclonic windsuprooting dozens oftrees, besides electric poles as people complained of powerfailurethroughout the day.
Thedepartment is believed to have suffered huge losseswith powerofficials putting the loses to over Rs 10-11 lakh.
Whilethe electricity department claimed that more thanseven electric poleswere uprooted and electric line running around 3-4 kms damagedby thecyclonic winds, fire personnel had a hectic day along the coastalbelt clearinguprooted trees on the roads and houses “ right fromCavelossim to Varca andbeyond.
Evenas social activist Judith Almeida and othervillagers from Colva,Benaulim and Cavelossim cried foul over the inordinatedelay inrestoring power supply, power officials attributed the situationtothe damage caused to electric poles uprooted during the cyclonicwinds. Infact, people along the coastal belt suffered double troubleas they had to gowithout electricity since Friday night, with theelectricity departmentrestoring the power supply only on Saturdayevening. “People in Colva and other villages had to suffersinceFriday night till Sunday evening for want of power supply. Hopethe officialsrestore the supply at the earliest”, Judith said,while calling for a detailedprobe on the infrastructure and manpowerrequirements concerning the powerdepartment.
ExecutiveEngineer, Santosh Lolienkar said that thatuprooting of electric polesof 22 KV line compounded the problem. “Poles wereuprooted anddamaged in Benaulim, Colva and Betalbatim. Though we managedtorestore the 22 KV line, what made matter worse was that there weremany problemsregarding the low tension line as well”, Lolienkarsaid.
Whilepower supply was restored in Benaulim by 7 pm, thepower officialswere on the job to resume power to Colva vilalg.
MargaoFire Officer, Gill Souza said the wind wroughthavoc along Salcetecoastal belt. “We had despatched one vehicle to attend tocallsreceived from Cavelossim to Varca belt and the personnel returnedbackonly on late Sunday noon”, Gill said.
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Lifedisrupted in Salcete
Photocaption. Fire men on the job to cut away a treethat crashed onvehicles near Naguesh Garden, Margao. Photo by SantoshMirajkar.
Photocaption. A tree that came crashing down on the roadopposite the oldcollectorate building, Margao.
Gustywinds accompanied by rains threw normal lifeout of gear in many partsof Salcete even as reports from Davorlim spoke of awoman taken to ahospital after being injured in a tree fall.
Trees,which got uprooted as a result of thegusty winds, caused hindrance tothe flow of traffic even as fire officialswere on their toes tonormalise the situation arising due to nature's furyagainst mankind.Traffic in Margao city was disrupted around noon after a fromtheadjoining Margao Municipal garden came crashing on the main roadoppositethe old collectorate. A portion of the compound wall of themunicipal gardenwas damaged in the incident.
Twocars were left damaged near Naguesh garden at Monte Hill afteranuprooted tree landed on the parked vehicles.
Fireofficials informed about reports ofuprooting of trees which poured infrom various parts of Salcete. Peopleresiding in areas of Madel,Ramnagri, Sonsodo, Davorlim, Borda, Fatorda,Ambaji, Colva, Benaulimwere put to inconvenience as trees came crashing downon the roadstherby blocking the traffic. In other related cases, a cocnouttreereportedly fell on a house near Power House (Aquem) while anothertreewhich came crashing down resulted in damages to a house in thislocality. ThePower Department also had to bear the brunt of nature'sfury as uprooted treesdamaged electricity poles in different parts ofSalcete. Such instances werereported near Colva police station,Parikatto (Cuncolim), Davorlim, Colvabeach, Navelim, Benaulim andColva. Two transformers were damaged at Sao Josede Areal while onehigh tension power line was also damaged at Gudi-Paroda,informed fireofficials.
Margaocity witnessed power failure for mostpart of the day after aninternal transformer at the Aquem power sub stationexploded in themorning.
Trafficwas disrupted on the Assolna-Velimroad, while residents ofPedda-Benaulim complained that a tree that crashed onthe road was notcleared till late this evening.
TheComba sub way was inundated for thesecond day today, disruptingtraffic in the comba area of Margao city
Meanwhile,sources informed 'The Goan' thatservices on KR route were normalisedexcept for the Konkan Kanya Express whichwas re-scheduled.
BICHOLIM
About15 trees got uprooted in different parts of Bicholim, as heavy rainsaccompanied by cyclonic winds struck the taluka on Sunday.
Ajack fruit tree fell on a car and badly damaged the vehicle atHarvalem, while a tree uprooted on two houses at Kharpal-Dodamarg.Reports of uprooted trees were also reported at Mulgao,Madhalawada-Sal, Shirodwadi-Mulgao, Pilgao, Surla, Pale, Amona, MayemBicholim, Surla Navelim.
