5 years on, Guirim roads still go under after shower spells | Goa News

Panaji: Stretches of roads leading to and from Guirim were once again inundated in the recent downpour, causing significant inconvenience to commuters.
For the last two days, roads leading to Parra and Mapusa city from the Green Park Hotel junction continued to be submerged under water inconveniencing the public. Residents have pointed to the hazardous conditions while attempting to drive through or navigate the waterlogged areas to access the main roads and highway towards Mapusa or Panaji.
Farmers who have been cultivating fields in the area for years have also been affected with some being forced to stop cultivation.
The issue continues to affect the daily lives of people for over five years with locals asking authorities to find a long-term solution. Locals in the past have blamed the haphazard construction work of the flyover for the flooding.
Mapusa MLA Joshua De Souza, who is also the deputy speaker of the Goa legislative assembly, attributed the persistent flooding to rampant filling of low-lying fields.
“If people continue to fill the low-lying areas with mud then where will the water go? It will definitely flow onto the roads. During the last five years, I, along with Saligao MLA Kedar Naik, tried to resolve this issue, but how will the situation improve when fields are filled,” De Souza said.
In Aug 2023, govt had assured to dredge the Mapusa river, also known as the Tar river, and also take other measures to prevent flooding at Guirim.
De Souza said that desilting of the culverts and nallahs in the area had been done prior to the onset of the monsoon. “With assistance of PWD, water resources and other departments concerned, whatever was required has been done from our side,” he added.