Heavy Rains Bring Goa to a Halt                                                                  
Special Correspondent Sankhalim (Goa)
Daijiworld Media Network - Goa
 
Sankhalim, Aug 11: District administration warily eyed the Valvonti river swollen by the incessant rains as the residents here spent their entire night on the street fearing the worst.
 
Some hundreds of people had a sleepless night as the market remained inundated and shopkeepers making their last ditch efforts to save their belongings.

Valvonti, a river running from Maharashtra to Goa, was swollen at an unexpected level due to heavy rains upstream, leaving no time for the administration to act in this village located 50 kms away from the state capital.

Many low lying parts of Goa are already under water with most of the rivers crossing danger mark. The flood can get worst, if rains continue for next two days, administration officials contended.

Here at Sankhalim, the electricity department had snapped the power connection and huge lights mounted on trucks were stationed at crucial location to monitor the floods.

"There is large scale deforestration in western ghat along Maharashtra border due to which the water rushes downstream at much faster pace," Vijaykumar Verenkar, Chairperson, Sankhalim municipal council, commented.

The politician, who is also a teacher by profession, was standing throughout night on the street along with fellow villagers helplessly looking at the increasing water level.

The town had 40 shops under water till mid night while there was a threat to 250 more.

The village which inevitably witnesses the floods every year, has set up special siren in the main market, which is being played since last three days warning people of the flood.

"Every time, the siren is played we are ready to shift our belongings from the shops. But this time, we did not get much time… the water gushed in with a much faster space," a grocery shopkeeper who was busy to salvaging whatever he can, said.

The red beacon cars frequented the town throughout night with the district administration officials monitoring the situation every hour.

"The situation is much normal as people were aware about the impending floods," deputy collector Arvind Bugade stated after holding a impromptu meeting with the people gathered there.

"We had to shift people from the neighbouring bicholim town. The situation is being monitored in all the low lying villages," he said.

With the rains refusing to subside, the water level went on increasing till wee hours in this village, which was an important inland port during Portuguese era.

Goa's other three villages – Hankhane, Ibrahampur and Hansapur – in northern Pernem taluka too remained under water last night after Tillari irrigation canal gave way.

"The water rushed in these three villages which are located adjacent to the canal," district administration officials stated.

The Khandepar river in north goa too is flowing above the danger mark with low lying village of Kapileshwari getting flooded last night.

Goa government has activated its machinery with two control rooms set up in each district which are working round the clock.