Panaji prepares for rains with tree trimming, drain desilting

Panaji: With the monsoon less than a month away, the Corporation of the City of Panaji (CCP) has taken up the task of trimming close to 400 trees in the state capital, which could pose a risk for commuters, residents, and property. The CCP has also recruited around 50 daily wage workers temporarily to clear up Panaji’s drains.

“We finished the first round of pre-monsoon work. We usually have multiple rounds, and right now we are just waiting for the smart city mission to be complete, as the debris gets washed into the drains with the first shower. We were given a long list of 390 trees from the forest department. Most of them are on DB Road and other major roads. Around 100 trees are left for trimming,” said CCP mayor Rohit Monserrate.

Monserrate said that the CCP has been in touch with the water resources department informally to prepare for the monsoon.

“They have been doing this for several years, and they will start the desilting of the nullahs around May 15, mainly in Mala,” he said.

He said that the CCP will be using the additional workers to open the stormwater drains to clear out silt, trash, and debris. “Once that is done, we will form night squads. The roads get flooded when the drains are blocked, and we need the night squads to quickly clear these drains,” said Monserrate.

The mayor also said that he will inspect the developments before the monsoon. “I will be going around the city on May 31 to see the incomplete work of the smart city mission and what needs to be rectified. Even if a paver is out of place, I will get smart city to rectify it before the rains,” said Monserrate.