Siolkars' worst fear comes true (ToI)

Siolkars' worst fear comes true Keshav Naik, TNN | Jun 9, 2013, 02.27 AM IST MAPUSA: Two houses in BancarVaddo, Siolim, were inundated with water because of the alleged release of water in the incomplete canal by the Tillari irrigation development project on Saturday. The heavy monsoon pegged with the release of the water by the Tillari irrigation project in the canal led to the flooding of the two houses belonging to Crecy Fernandes and Mario Fernandes in Pilimbi in Siolim. The two families suffered a loss of around 25,000 in the incident. The excess water released in the canal also caused the water to overflow onto the roads in Pilimbi and Bancar Vaddo. After getting the news, the Siolim-Sodiem sarpanch, Nilesh Vaigankar, along with the other villagers rushed to the site to understand the situation and provide relief measures. Sources informed TOI that heavy rains along with the water released in the canal since 8am caused the flooding. There were many snakes which were also washed down onto the village roads and into houses along with the water. The water level on the Siolim-Mapusa road rose by two feet and even buses found it difficult to negotiate the flooded stretch. Sources informed TOI that the Tillari irrigation authorities opened the gates at Sawantwadi in Maharashtra to release the water in the incomplete canal which was already full because of monsoon water. The water then gushed further and excess water was released in Siolim. The compound wall of one of the houses also collapsed and blocked the waterway to the natural stream which caused more flooding. The sarpanch and other people from the village rushed to the rescue and cleared the debris of the compound wall to clear the water. After continuous efforts from the villagers, the water level was brought down at about 4pm giving some respite to the residents of Pilimbi and Bancar Vaddo of Siolim. The locals have strongly demanded that the water should not be released into the incomplete Tillari canal. "If this is the situation in the early monsoon, what will be the scenario in the heavy rains. The Tillari irrigation authorities should not take the people of Siolim lightly and should not release the water in the canal henceforth," sarpanch Vaigankar said. When contacted, the junior engineer of the Tillari irrigation project said that the flooding was because of the water released in the already-full canal from Sawantwadi. "The canal was already full because of the monsoon water, the release of water in the canal from the Sawantwadi gate caused the flooding," junior engineer Sunil Karmalkar said. "We closed all gates and the water level has been brought under control. This is the last time that Siolim will face the problem of flooding during the first rains. Work on the canal is complete and I assure that henceforth the flooding will not take place," Karmalkar said. http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/goa/Siolkars-worst-fear-comes-true/articleshow/20499861.cms