NT NETwoRK
PONDA
The heavy showers on Wednesday brought much-needed respite from the scorching heat to Ponda residents, but it led to water-logging at many places exposing the Ponda Municipality over its monsoon preparedness.
Many roads in the town were waterlogged following clogging of storm water drains across.
Entire city roads of Ponda witnessed traffic snarls due to water logging. Stretches of roads at Warkhande, Dada Vaidya Chowk, Ponda Municipality building, taluka library building, junction near Minion Hotel and pickup stand were waterlogged.
In Dada Vaidya Chowk area, rainwater entered many shops, which kept their workforce busy in clear the rainwater manually.
The main drain of the town near Shastri hall got choked and the rainwater started flowing along the road and entered the shops in the vicinity.
“It was unexpected and so we could not do much about,” said a shop owner.
When contacted, chief officer of Ponda Municipality Navnath Naik said, “PMC had started drain desilting work two months back, but due to unavailability of the labourers, many drains could not be cleaned. Garbage blocked the drains which resulted in water-logging.”
The municipality got into action and cleared the blockages for the rainwater to flow freely. In the coming days, the PMC will make sure that the remaining drains are cleaned, and to do that the PMC has deputed 20 labourers, said Naik.
Many incidents of trees falling on the roads, electric wires and also on cars were reported in various parts of Ponda on Wednesday.
According to Ponda fire services personnel, trees (including coconut tree in two instances) falling on the electric wire incident were reported at Shantinagar, Bodgeshwar temple at Talaulim, Agapur and at Gananath temple-Nirankal. “Also two electricity poles fell down at Farmagudi due to heavy rain,” fire personnel informed.
A house at Avanti Nagar, Usgao was damaged partially after a tree fell on it, while a Fiat Punto car was damaged at Opa Khandepar due to falling of a tree. Trees also fell down on roads near Chowgule junction at Usgao, near petrol pump at Dharbandora and also near railway station at Collem.