Despite expert recommendations, only one culvert has been built, and the Western Bypass opened without mitigation measures
It has now been 10 months since the Margao Western Bypass was opened to traffic in December last year, yet the comprehensive drainage plan for River Sal is still not in place.
MARGAO
Hazard a guess on the status of the recommendations made by Central expert R K Pandey for a comprehensive drainage plan for River Sal to enhance its discharge capacity and to mitigate floods?
It’s been exactly two years since Central expert R K Pandey—drafted by Union Minister for Road and Surface Transport, Nitin Gadkari—to study the villagers’ demand for constructing the Western Bypass on stilts, submitted his report to the PWD (National Highways). His report recommended a series of measures to mitigate flooding, including the formulation of a comprehensive drainage plan for River Sal.
Two years down the line, however, the only tangible work on the ground has been the construction of a single culvert on the Benaulim–Varca road near Mercado Mall—and that too after a delay of more than a year. Pandey had specifically recommended multiple additional culverts along the Benaulim–Varca road, running parallel to the Tolleaband water body, to facilitate faster drainage of water from the lake into River Sal through the culverts.
Unfortunately, the PWD (Roads) has so far completed just one culvert, finished only last month. It remains unclear whether the department has even prepared estimates for the additional culverts proposed in the expert’s report.
That’s not all. The comprehensive drainage plan for River Sal, which was to be implemented by the Water Resources Department (WRD), remains a non-starter. This is particularly significant given that it will soon be a year—this December—since the Western Bypass was opened to vehicular traffic. Yet, there has been no visible progress or official communication on the much-needed River Sal drainage plan.
PWD (National Highways) officials have confirmed that Pandey’s report was submitted to the WRD two years ago for implementation of the recommended measures.
The delay in implementing Pandey’s recommendations for a comprehensive drainage plan for River Sal to mitigate flooding has raised a contentious question — has the government forgotten its commitment to enhance the river’s water discharge capacity after commissioning the Western Bypass for vehicular traffic?
Local villagers, who had waged a sustained campaign demanding that the bypass be constructed on stilts, were given assurances that the government would address flooding concerns by improving the discharge capacity of River Sal and undertaking desilting operations. Two years later, those assurances appear to be lost in the flood of official inaction, sources say.
WRD’s Rs 14 cr River Sal plan stuck in red tape
MARGAO: The Water Resources Department had, a couple of months ago, prepared Rs 14 crore proposal to augment River Sal’s discharge capacity. The plan envisages constructing concrete retaining walls along the river stretch from the Vidya Vikas Mandal (VVM) educational complex up to the Khareband Bridge.
Officials explained that the proposed work includes construction of concrete retaining walls and desilting of the riverbed along this stretch. A senior WRD official told The Goan that the section between the VVM complex and Khareband Bridge was chosen for the work because it lacks proper embankments. “In fact, the official noted, River Sal resembles a storm water nullah along this stretch. The absence of proper embankments causes the river to overflow during monsoons, flooding the adjoining low-lying areas.”
Inquiries by The Goan have revealed that while the proposal was forwarded to higher WRD authorities for consideration, it has yet to receive administrative or financial sanction.
Incidentally, Superintending Engineer Ankush Gaonkar—currently holding additional charge as Chief Engineer—is no stranger to River Sal’s flooding woes. During his earlier tenure as Executive Engineer, WRD Margao, his office had sent a report to the government supporting the demand for constructing the Western Bypass on stilts on the plea that building the bypass sans stilts could cause flooding in the low-lying areas.
De-weeding awaits approval
In addition to the Rs 14 crore proposal for constructing a retaining wall and desilting the River Sal, officials from the Water Resources Department (WRD) have also prepared separate estimates of around Rs 8 lakh each for the de-weeding of the river.
According to sources, the de-weeding proposal is being forwarded to senior WRD officials for approval. The plan includes a provision requiring the selected contractor to undertake two years of maintenance after the initial de-weeding work.
Officials clarified that this de-weeding initiative is separate from the Rs 14 crore project. It has been drawn up with a temporary and focused objective — to remove the water hyacinth infestation from the river and ensure the smooth flow of rainwater during the monsoon season.
During the last monsoon, large masses of water hyacinth were carried down the river toward its mouth at Betul. A substantial portion of Mobor beach was eventually invaded by the weed, which had been washed downstream from Margao by strong currents. This caused an ecological concern, prompting the authorities to intervene and clear the debris.
