Re: [Goanet] Panjim Drains
Mr Dias As a lay person, I’m putting forward a simple question. Are those huge Casinos also not responsible in some way for the drainage system to be effected in Panjim? In the past, we never witnessed such major flooding in Panjim. Bernice Pereira Sent from my iPhone > On 14-Mar-2021, at 11:58 AM, Stephen Dias wrote: > > PANJIM DRAINS > > BY Stephen Dias, Dona Paula > Retd Scientist- A1 Instrumentation and Social Activist > 12TH MARCH 2021 > > > The CCP always claims that they have done all required pre monsoon work on > all the drains and that avoiding flooding and water logging in Panjim takes > top priority. However year after year they are proved wrong when the water > accumulating on roads and overflowing storm gutters are visible proof of > either lack of action or incompetence. > Of course pedestrians are the most affected. Forget floods, even a light > rain is a disaster for them. Vehicles, especially buses, while travelling > on water-logged Miramar and Campal roads, splash pedestrians and two > wheeler drivers without mercy. Two wheelers face bigger problem - we find > them zig zagging to avoid water splashing, often resulting in accidents and > even sometimes casualties. > > The colossal environmental degradation in goa has been witnessing over the > years by way of rampant destruction of hills, fragmentation of pristine > landscapes through ruthless chopping of trees and by not even sparing the > lower lying fields by pouring concrete in them, shows the impact of > criminal interference in Goa's age old natural ecosystem. Of course do not > forget the Casinos which have obstructed the natural movement of the river > and sand and are causing major displacement of water and flow. Nature's > fury cannot be averted as the rain usually plays havoc with the > administration's poor attempts to prepare. > > This time also the city MLA Babush Monserratte has given solemn assurances > to the citizens of Panjim assuring them that this time panjim will not face > water logging as he has taken a drive to clean all the gutters specially in > Campal and Miramar. Unfortunately this is easier said than done. > > The traditional drainage system, water ways, and outlets for natural flow > of rainwater are choked all over with no functional drainage system > well-maintained by the authorities of the corporation of the city of Panjim. > > We residents of Panjim have witnessed how the capacitance Goan communities > built over centuries with time-tested strategies designed to prevent > flooding, is now getting deteriorated every year. I remember the planning > of drainage outlets during my younger days because of which we had no major > flooding in the streets of Panjim. Of course credit is also due to the > efficient maintenance by the Portugese authorities. I remember where some > major storm drain inlets were located. One was near Umesh Keni Petrol pump > in Portais, another was at Ninho Infantil, Fontainhas, Custom house, > Miramar, near Panjim market, Campal, Aivao market and others.These storm > water drains were periodically cleaned and there was no blockage at all > which made for safe travelling on roads. But now, all these drains are not > only blocked but the documentation existing in the CCP and PWD has gone for > a toss and nobody knows if the records are available or not. > > This year the deterioration has reached a new peak since the roads are full > of potholes and chambers that are not well aligned, not even level, by the > PWD. The tender does not specify such aspects for the contractor to execute > the work and mostly supervision is not adequate or missing. The drain > covers/slabs are also not well designed and all over Panjim we see a number > of different types of covers of different sizes and thicknesses. They are > not uniform. The CCP and PWD workers cannot lift these drain enclosures as > they are heavy and no lifting vehicles/gadgets have been given to them. > Their backbones can be injured if they continue to accept such heavy loads. > A new concept should be introduced - uniform design for efficiency in terms > of replacement and cost, strong enough to last, less weight and less > thickness to be easily handled. I recently saw a close-to-ideal design in > use by the CCP. See photo attached. Some improvement in terms of weight and > thickness would be preferable. One benefit is that tourists or other > anti-social elements cannot put bottles and other garbage into the drains > with such covers. > > The CCP carries out pre-monsoon work by trial and error method and is > hampered partially also because of the construction that has come up all > over the city. Taking this into consideration the drains needed to be > cleared much before the monsoon starts. The problem lies with the > government as the funds are always approved at the last moment. Hence the > jobs entrusted to the contractor are delayed. I cannot bame the contractors > or charge them with not trying. I
[Goanet] Panjim Drains
PANJIM DRAINS BY Stephen Dias, Dona Paula Retd Scientist- A1 Instrumentation and Social Activist 12TH MARCH 2021 The CCP always claims that they have done all required pre monsoon work on all the drains and that avoiding flooding and water logging in Panjim takes top priority. However year after year they are proved wrong when the water accumulating on roads and overflowing storm gutters are visible proof of either lack of action or incompetence. Of course pedestrians are the most affected. Forget floods, even a light rain is a disaster for them. Vehicles, especially buses, while travelling on water-logged Miramar and Campal roads, splash pedestrians and two wheeler drivers without mercy. Two wheelers face bigger problem - we find them zig zagging to avoid water splashing, often resulting in accidents and even sometimes casualties. The colossal environmental degradation in goa has been witnessing over the years by way of rampant destruction of hills, fragmentation of pristine landscapes through ruthless chopping of trees and by not even sparing the lower lying fields by pouring concrete in them, shows the impact of criminal interference in Goa's age old natural ecosystem. Of course do not forget the Casinos which have obstructed the natural movement of the river and sand and are causing major displacement of water and flow. Nature's fury cannot be averted as the rain usually plays havoc with the administration's poor attempts to prepare. This time also the city MLA Babush Monserratte has given solemn assurances to the citizens of Panjim assuring them that this time panjim will not face water logging as he has taken a drive to clean all the gutters specially in Campal and Miramar. Unfortunately this is easier said than done. The traditional drainage system, water ways, and outlets for natural flow of rainwater are choked all over with no functional drainage system well-maintained by the authorities of the corporation of the city of Panjim. We residents of Panjim have witnessed how the capacitance Goan communities built over centuries with time-tested strategies designed to prevent flooding, is now getting deteriorated every year. I remember the planning of drainage outlets during my younger days because of which we had no major flooding in the streets of Panjim. Of course credit is also due to the efficient maintenance by the Portugese authorities. I remember where some major storm drain inlets were located. One was near Umesh Keni Petrol pump in Portais, another was at Ninho Infantil, Fontainhas, Custom house, Miramar, near Panjim market, Campal, Aivao market and others.These storm water drains were periodically cleaned and there was no blockage at all which made for safe travelling on roads. But now, all these drains are not only blocked but the documentation existing in the CCP and PWD has gone for a toss and nobody knows if the records are available or not. This year the deterioration has reached a new peak since the roads are full of potholes and chambers that are not well aligned, not even level, by the PWD. The tender does not specify such aspects for the contractor to execute the work and mostly supervision is not adequate or missing. The drain covers/slabs are also not well designed and all over Panjim we see a number of different types of covers of different sizes and thicknesses. They are not uniform. The CCP and PWD workers cannot lift these drain enclosures as they are heavy and no lifting vehicles/gadgets have been given to them. Their backbones can be injured if they continue to accept such heavy loads. A new concept should be introduced - uniform design for efficiency in terms of replacement and cost, strong enough to last, less weight and less thickness to be easily handled. I recently saw a close-to-ideal design in use by the CCP. See photo attached. Some improvement in terms of weight and thickness would be preferable. One benefit is that tourists or other anti-social elements cannot put bottles and other garbage into the drains with such covers. The CCP carries out pre-monsoon work by trial and error method and is hampered partially also because of the construction that has come up all over the city. Taking this into consideration the drains needed to be cleared much before the monsoon starts. The problem lies with the government as the funds are always approved at the last moment. Hence the jobs entrusted to the contractor are delayed. I cannot bame the contractors or charge them with not trying. I recently saw them attempting to clean a gutter in Panjim market. The fleet of workers and engineers struggled to remove the sand and mud from the gutter and load it into a truck. When questioned by me they said nothing can be done in terms of prevention because sand keeps on entering from the Mandovi shore side with the pressure of waves, thus getting the drain choked again and again. I asked whether the complete drain was cleared up to the beach. They said the asphalted road cannot
