Mapusa: Residents in Bardez had to patiently wait for 45 days to receive water from the Tillari Dam but when water finally began to flow, it ended up overflowing and even flooding some houses and a workshop in Pilambiwada in Sodiem-Siolim.
Authorities at the Tillari Dam had undertaken the annual repair works on November 13, leading to water shortage in Bardez and Pernem talukas.
Water continued to overflow despite dam repair
After completing the repair work, water from the Tillari Dam was released on Wednesday. However on Thursday at around 9 am, water began to overflow with such force at Pilambiwada that a road at Pilambiwada was inundated and water flooded some houses and a workshop along the road. A compound wall of a house also collapsed in the process.
People were taken by surprise and there was panic in the area. The local panchayat was alerted and panchayat members contacted WRD officials, who also visited the site to take stock of the situation. The water was finally brought under control in the evening.
Resident blames the panchayat
“The panchayat had not cleaned the Nullahs which were clogged and hence, water from the Tillari canal began to flow on the road and entered our homes. If the Nullah was cleaned, this situation would not have arisen,” said the resident.
Sodiem-Siolim Sarpanch Dipali Pednekar, however, claimed this was an annual problem faced by the people.
“Water from the Tillari Dam enters the village and spoils agricultural land. The village does not benefit from this water. The water resources department should divert this water, which gets wasted, to some place else,” said Pednekar.
