Torrential rainfall disrupts life in Sattari, Bicholim towns and villages on Monday

Panaji: Parts of Sanquelim and Bicholim were flooded on Monday after heavy rains lashed Goa’s hinterland. Muddy water roared through the streets, entering shops, banks and homes while disrupting life. The IMD had issued a yellow alert for the day, but after seeing the amount of rainfall, they updated the alert to orange.
The IMD’s data shows that over a 24-hour period ending 8.30am on Monday, Sanguem received 63.9mm of rainfall, Pernem got 36.8mm, while Sanquelim got 32.6mm.
Goa’s average rainfall on Monday between 8.30am and 5.30pm was 18.9mm.
The torrential rain sent people scurrying for safety. Some motorists who attempted to wade through the inundated roads found their vehicles seizing due to water ingress.
At Sacorda, three women found themselves stranded on a bridge across the Ragada as the water levels rose suddenly and overran the bridge.
Personnel from the directorate of fire and emergency services rescued the three women. “We received a call at 4.08pm that the three women from a village near Valpoi were trapped on the Sacorda bridge. A team of fire personnel led by station fire officer Sushil Morajkar rescued the women,” said an official from the Ponda fire station.
At Sanquelim, the WRD started pumping water out of the nullahs to reduce the water levels. “There was a sudden downpour in this area over a two-hour period and flooded many roads. The water levels rose rapidly. Heavy flow of water is coming from the upper areas like Desai Nagar which is why the nullah overflowed,” said Sanquelim municipal council vice chairperson Anand Kanekar.
Locals said that the drains and the surrounding water bodies have become shallow because of the silt which has been deposited by the rainfall. “People also throw rubbish into the drains and water bodies which choke them further. People should help us by not throwing rubbish into the drains and the water bodies,” said Kanekar.
Sattari also bore the brunt of the heavy rain with locals reporting a flood-like situation in Honda. Water reportedly entered the local State Bank of India branch. Authorities issued an alert to Sanquelim and Bicholim residents living along the riverbanks to keep a watch on water levels.