Ignored WRD report favouring bypass on stilts raises eyebrows

With land filling for the western bypass taking place at a fast pace, questions raised whether the WRD report recommending construction of the bypass on stilts is buried under the debris.

Photo Credits: Santosh Mirajkar

MARGAO

 As trucks unload tonnes of mud along the Tolleaband water body, Benaulim day in and day out to raise an earthen embankment to pave for the western bypass, a 2022 report on flooding compiled by the Water Resources Department (WRD) recommending construction of the bypass on stilts seemed to have been given a decent burial under the debris.

With a fleet of trucks unloading tonnes of debris along the bypass alignment at Tolleaband, the report on the 2022 Benaulim flooding compiled by the WRD headed by Minster Subhash Shirodkar seemed to have found favour with the PWD, National Highways presided over by Minister Nilesh Cabral. 

The 2022 WRD report was categorical in sounding a warning what the beleaguered villagers of Benaulim have all along been apprehending --- there’s a high possibility of flood waters rising at a magnified rate in future if the western bypass is constructed on earthen embankments.

In fact, the WRD report had raised hopes amongst the villagers and farmers that the recommendations would force the PWD to do a re-think and build the bypass passing through Tolleaband water body on stilts considering that the report has been compiled by none other than a government department.

The ground reality, however, shows that the WRD report evoked no response from the Goa government headed by Chief Minister Pramod Sawant and PWD Minister Nilesh Cabral. Questions are being raised in official circles whether WRD Minister Subhash Shirodkar had ever taken up the issue of western bypass with the government considering the fact that his very own department had compiled a detailed report on the 2022 Benaulim flooding.

In fact, if sources are to be believed, senior WRD officials did not take the flooding report forward on the plea the department should stick to the report of the expert panel constituted by the National Green Tribunal (NGT), which did not consider construction of bypass on stilts at Benaulim.

This has raised a host of questions – whether it is proper for a government or a department to overrule a finding or sweep an official report under the carpet when the report contains warning that the possibility of disaster to life, livelihood and property of the local inhabitants in future needs to be considered in going ahead with the construction of the western bypass on embankments along the Tolleaband stretch. And, who will assume responsibility in the event Benaulim is submerged under flood waters in the monsoons in the future.

That’s not all. Strange it may seem, but that the government totally ignored the WRD report as was evident by the fact that the recommendation made by WRD officials to conduct a model study with expert hydrologist to avoid the worst circumstances in future along the stretch, was not implemented.

A senior WRD official in private said there’s still time for the government and the PWD to reconsider the decision and go for the construction of the bypass on stilts. “No doubt, work on land filling at the Tolleband water body is progressing at a fast pace. We have found trucks unloading tonnes of mud to raise an embankment. But, there’s still time for the government and the PWD to do a re-think on the bypass before it is too late”, remarked a WRD official.