CCP makes headway in correcting flooding problems in parts of Panaji

PANAJI: New drains built by the Corporation of the City of Panaji (CCP) at Miramar’s La Campala Colony saved the area from getting inundated during torrential showers that lashed the state over the past week.
Before the drains were built, all it would take was 30 minutes of heavy rainfall for knee-deep water to accumulate in the area and in front of Stella Maris Chapel, trapping people inside their homes and entering vehicles parked along the lanes.Desilting of existing drains did little to remedy the situation, but the new drains, though built belatedly, helped prevent a flood like situation from occurring.
Mayor Uday Madkaikar said the problem disappeared no sooner than the new drains were built. The public works department (PWD) has been entrusted with preparing estimates for a deep stormwater drain along the main road between Miramar circle and Bal Bhavan, which will permanently resolve issues of flooding, he added.
At Caranzalem, along the Miramar-Dona Paula concrete road where waterlogging was a regular phenomenon, the CCP has fitted pipes to guide the water away from the road. A permanent solution is yet to be worked out.
Panaji MLA Atanasio Monserrate together with the PWD, water resources department and the Goa State Infrastructure Development Corporation, are yet to figure out a one-time solution to the flooding problem in low-lying Mala. A meeting that was supposed to be held recently was called off due to the assembly session. Another is expected to he held soon.
Madkaikar said the WRD has installed a fourth pump, but admitted that pumping water out wasn’t a solution during high tide. CCP plans to build drains near the Panjim Community Centre and the petrol pump at Mala.