MARGAO
A week after gusty winds left a trail of destruction across several Salcete villages, residents are now bracing for what the approaching monsoon may bring. The devastation has once again raised a critical question — are government agencies, including the Fire and Emergency Services and the Power Department, adequately equipped to handle disasters during the monsoon season?
Villagers from Cuncolim, Chinchinim, Assolna and adjoining coastal areas bore the brunt of the cyclonic winds that lashed parts of Salcete last week. Many residents spent sleepless nights without electricity, while traffic remained disrupted for hours as uprooted trees blocked roads and emergency teams struggled to respond swiftly due to limited resources.
The situation exposed glaring deficiencies in the emergency response system. Residents pointed out that fire and emergency personnel are in urgent need of additional manpower, fire tenders and equipment to tackle the surge in emergency calls during extreme weather events.
When trees came crashing down during the storm, fire personnel found themselves overwhelmed. As first responders in such disasters, teams were required to attend to dozens of calls, often working round the clock alongside Electricity Department staff to restore power supply to affected villages.
Fire stations face manpower, equipment crunch
The crisis has revived the familiar concern — are local fire stations sufficiently equipped with men and machinery to deal with emergencies during the monsoon?
Last week’s events suggested otherwise. In Cuncolim and neighbouring villages, residents had to wait for hours for fire personnel to arrive and clear fallen trees from roads and structures. The reason: the Cuncolim fire station has only a single fire tender. Moreover, the tender is unable to access several narrow internal roads in village wards, causing further delays in emergency operations.
A similar situation prevails at the Margao fire station, which currently operates with just two fire tenders, one of which has already been condemned. Its replacement is still awaited.
Sources said disaster management authorities should consider directing local civic bodies to place labourers and workers at the disposal of fire personnel during emergencies to assist in clearing uprooted trees and debris from roads and damaged structures.
“Changing climate patterns should spur disaster management authorities to plan well in advance and strengthen infrastructure with an adequate number of fire tenders, cutters, labourers and other essential equipment,” remarked an official.
Saxttikars seek better emergency response
The chaos during the storm also exposed serious communication gaps within the Power Department. Agitated residents of Chinchinim reportedly stormed the local electricity office late at night after repeated attempts to seek information on power restoration went unanswered.
For several hours, no personnel were available to attend to phone calls or provide updates to consumers. Residents said the absence of any emergency communication mechanism only added to public frustration during the crisis.
Former Chinchinim Sarpanch Valentino Barretto said the authorities must at least ensure that someone is deployed to attend calls and keep residents updated during emergencies. “The least the Power Department can do is deploy staff to answer calls and provide updates on restoration work. This is the bare minimum service expected during disaster situations,” Barretto said.
