Goemkarponn desk
PONDA: Access to the Kodar river was shut by the Agriculture department considering the multiple drowning cases at the site. A 2.5 metres wall was built to bar the asses of visitors to Kodar river.
For the safety of the visitors, the Agriculture Department built a laterite stone wall of 2.5 meter height for 350 meters long distance on the government owned plantation land.
The officials at Kodar Agriculture Farm said the compound is constructed to prevent the entry of picnickers at the Kodar river and also drowning cases.
According to locals at least 30 to 35 drowning cases took place at Kodar river in past 12 years. The visitors were reportedly trespassing through the government-owned plantation to gain free access to Kodar river” locals claimed.
It may be recalled that after Kodar river was in news for drowning deaths of picnickers while enjoying bath there was a strong demand from the villagers to close down the access from the farm of Agriculture Department.
The villagers used to blame the Agriculture department for drowning cases and were demanding to close the access to the river through its plantation and gate.
At a time even three young youths were drowned in the past. The GoaCan Convenor Roland Martins in July 2021 had also complained to Deputy Collector Ponda with news cutting of series of news reports and also held recently series of meeting with officials of various departments and suggested the government take precautionary measures to prevent drowning deaths at Kodar river.
The Locals of Bethora, Nirankal Kodar Panchayat has welcomed the move as Kodar river had earned a bad name to the village as a Killer river. Since past many years more than two dozen including young and school-going boys had lost their lives at this year especially at summer season when the picnickers from various parts of Goa used to come for a bath in Kodar river especially to beat the scorching heat in the month of March, April to May. Some used to enter the river with family while some consumed alcohol and were drowning. The liquor bottles were broken at the river bank causing a nuisance to locals. Even migrants in Goa used to visit rivers for picnicking and sometimes drowning in the process.
Now though Agriculture Department is closing access to the Kodar river from its farm there are chances that picnickers might find other ways to go to the river. The Picnickers also visit the river from access located behind Sanjivani Sugar Factory. Besides, there are some private farms on the bank of Kodar from which visitors gets access to Kodar.
According to locals in order to stop drowning deaths government need to study the access points leading to river so that picnickers doesn’t enter river for bath. Kodar or the OPA river is the same river on which OPA water treatment plant is located at its down stream which meets drinking needs of Ponda and Tiswadi Taluka.