PANAJI
"Our home floods every year during the monsoon. Ankle- and shin-deep water accumulates inside our house, sometimes in the middle of the night," said Sajjan, who lives in one of the single-room tenements near the PWD's sewerage treatment plant (STP) at Tonca in St Inez.
He alleges that an extension of the St Inez creek in their neighbourhood overflows and the water gushes into their homes.
On the intervening night of Wednesday–Thursday, the phenomenon repeated, as has been the case for over a decade every year.
"We had to physically remove the water which flooded our home. Every year, we make temporary racks at a height to keep all our belongings to protect them from the invading waters," Sajjan added.
He said the flooding becomes extremely difficult for them to endure when it happens during the night.
"Sometimes it happens in the middle of the night at 2 am or 3 am. It is very troublesome," another member of his household said.
Meanwhile, officials at the STP claimed that these houses are illegal encroachments, partly on government land and also on private land, but have existed since the 1970s.
