Goemkarponn desk
CANACONA – The onset of early Monsoon rains has further jeopardized the already delayed and awaited Installation of the Cyclone Warning Dissemination Tower at Agonda.
It may be recalled that the state government has set a deadline of October 2020 to install 38 early cyclone warning dissemination towers across the coastal belt of the state work for installation of some of these Towers began as late as April’2022, while in some areas the projects are shelved due its opposition.
According to sources, once it began, the construction works were going on at a snail’s pace at Agonda, where the Cyclone Warning Tower is planned right on the beach sands in very close proximity to Lifeguard Tower (Southern side of Agonda beach). After the large put was excavated, a water pump was pressed into service to enable the laying of essential base footings of the Tower and pump out the water. With the rains, as well as the high tide, again refilling the wide pit with water, concrete works could not be undertaken as yet, informed sources.
According to government reports, under the National Cyclone Risk Mitigation project, 39 towers were to be installed in Goa (19 in North and 20 in South) across the coastline, with different heights ranging between 5 m, 10m and 15 m, under the Water Resources Department at the cost of Rs.18 crores.
According to Agonda Sarpanch, the Cyclone Tower, though it could boost the villagers, particularly the fishing Community, is being set up by the government without obtaining panchayat NOC on beach sands. ‘ There is only receipt of approximately 50,000/- revenue to the panchayat’.
The villagers of Velsao-Pale-Isorcim at its gram sabha have recently opposed the installation of the cyclone warning dissemination Tower stating IMD is already intimating then about the weather and cyclonic conditions of the sea.
Once it receives an alert, the Cyclone Warning Dissemination Tower will automatically raise an alarm of the impending rough weather conditions.
As a financer of the project, the World Bank has provided Rs 108 crore to the state government under the National Cyclone Risk Mitigation Project for the three layers project, which consists of the Installation of Cyclone Towers, Building of Shelter Homes during cyclones and Underground laying of electricity Cable.
According to reports, around Rs 33 crores would be spent on laying underground power cables in the coastal belt so that if a cyclone hits the state, the electricity supply is not disrupted, while Twelve cyclone shelters — five in the North and seven in South — will be established in the state under the same project at the cost of Rs 38 crore.