Perennially flood prone Goa’s capital Panaji is set to receive fresh armaments in its fight against rising sea levels with the city’s smart city mission lining up a list of measures that they hope will make it resilient for generations to come.
According to officials overseeing a ‘rebuild’ of the city’s infrastructure under the smart city mission, two projects are currently underway in Panaji to enhance the city’s infrastructure and environmental resilience — the ‘Mandovi River Promenade’ project encompasses the construction of a rip-rap protection seawall along the coastline stretching from the city’s waterfront right up to Miramar Beach, covering a distance of 2.5 kilometres to safeguard the coastline from erosion and other environmental impacts and secondly the construction of 3.8-kilometre-long composite retaining wall for the restoration, protection and stability of the nearly four-kilometre-long creek that snakes through much of the city’s downtown.
Officials hope the retaining wall being built using a combination of laterite and reinforced concrete will help improve the flow of the perennially clogged Santa Ines creek that runs through several shanty towns and reduce the risk of flooding.
“Being a coastal city that has been built on what were once sandy soil and mudflats, Panjim is uniquely vulnerable to the effects of sea levels and tides. According to a flood mitigation study conducted by Smart City in 2021, Panaji’s drainage system is significantly impacted by tidal influences from the Mandovi River. Additionally, the city’s average elevation ranges from 0 to 7 metres, with a considerable portion situated below sea level. The situation worsens during periods of high rainfall coinciding with high tides,” said Smart City chief executive officer Sanjit Rodrigues.
“Focus is placed on addressing flooding in low-lying areas as well as addressing discharge into the Mandovi River affected by tidal effects,” he added.
Panaji was recently identified as one of the 15 Indian cities at high risk due to climate change.
Former mayor Surendra Furtado said the proof of the work being done under the smart city mission will be known only once the monsoons arrive.
“It is not long now until the city will face its first test. At that time, we will see whether the measures they have undertaken will work or not,” Furtado said.
Flooding has been an annual problem in Panjim that in 2017 commemorated 175 years as the administrative capital of Goa with several parts including the central business district going under water during a bout of sustained showers. Similarly, during the yearly spring and neap tides, water flows up the storm water drains leaving stretches of road under water on a bright sunny day.
The efforts to solve the problem in the past have been limited to cleaning and reconstruction of drains to help drain water from the city faster with limited success.
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