Sawant directs WRD to speed up desilting to tackle Mapusa flooding

Panaji: Chief minister Pramod Sawant, along with water resources development (WRD) minister Subhash Shirodkar and senior officials, reviewed the Rs 46-crore Mapusa river rejuvenation project at Guirim on Tuesday.

The project, which includes desilting, aims to prevent waterlogging in Guirim and Mapusa during prolonged heavy rain. Low-lying areas such as St Anthony Vaddo and the vicinity of Hotel Green Park in Mapusa have seen frequent flooding when the river overflows, disrupting traffic.

Scheduled for completion in Nov, officials said the work is on track. With the monsoon approaching, Sawant directed WRD officials to speed up desilting, remove excess silt and clear encroachments blocking the natural flow of rainwater into the river.

“During the rains, fields in Guirim get submerged and the river’s course becomes indistinct. With this desilting work, we have rejuvenated around 4.5 km of the river,” Sawant said.

The project covers a 4.5-km stretch from Guirim to the national highway bridge at Tar junction and has been awarded to Bagkiya Construction Pvt Ltd.

Measures include embankment bunds along both banks, sluice and flap gates at 200m intervals to prevent backflow during high tide, and a composite laterite wall to strengthen the riverbanks. A dedicated sluice gate will isolate floodwaters from the Guirim catchment, while a high-capacity pumping system, capable of discharging 3,000 cubic metres per hour, will further aid flood control.
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