Heavy rains in Goa; several stranded at island, buses stuck

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Several people were stranded at Diwar Island near Panaji due to flooding in the area following incessant rains in Goa.

Besides, eight passenger buses were stuck on the state's border with Karnataka due to the heavy rains which inundated several low-lying areas, officials said.

Local resident Manohar Bhomkar, 70, who was stranded at the Diwar Island, posted a video on social media of some water-logged homes on the island, following which state Water Resources Minister Filipe Neri Rodrigues said the government would provide all help to them.

The exact number of those stranded at the island was not immediately known.

In the video, Bhomkar said due to breach in the embankment of a nearby river, water gushed into their homes.

"There is flood everywhere. The embankment has breached and water is entering the island from all sides. We have been stranded for four days," he said in the video.

Rodrigues said the government was making all efforts to help those stuck due to flooding at various places.

"We will also provide assistance to people at Diwar Island," he said.

The island is located across the Mandovi river near Panaji and its residents have to use boats to reach the state capital and other places.

However, following heavy showers, the state river navigation department suspended the ferry service to some places, including Diwar Island.

The coastal state has been receiving heavy showers for the last one week, throwing normal life out of gear.

Around eight buses carrying several passengers, including students, were stuck on the Goa-Karnataka border since Monday night due to flooding in the area after heavy rains, an official in the Chief Minister's Office (CMO) said.

Chief Minister Pramod Sawant instructed the officials concerned to rush to Radhanagari village on the state border with Karnataka to rescue the stranded passengers, he said.

"Our teams have rushed to the spot with water and food for the stranded passengers," the official added.

Earlier, around 10 people stranded at their water- logged homes in Pilgaon village of North Goa district were rescued by personnel of the disaster management department on Monday night, another state government official said.

Several families were also evacuated from some villages in Bicholim taluka where homes were inundated following the heavy downpour, he said.

Besides, around 15 families stranded due to flooding at their homes in Usgao village were also rescued on Tuesday afternoon, he said.

In the morning, Sawant conducted an inspection of some flooded villages in low-lying areas of North Goa and parts of the state capital Panaji to assess the situation.

The chief minister said he would be meeting officials of the education department later in the day to check the monsoon forecast for Wednesday.

"If a similar situation is likely to continue, the education department will announce a holiday for primary and secondary schools in the state on Wednesday," he told reporters.

The Mandovi river in the state crossed the danger mark on Monday night, causing flooding in some villages of Sattari taluka in North Goa, another official said.

Besides, Sonal village in Sattari was cut-off from other parts of the district after heavy downpour in the area, he added.

The weather department has forecast heavy to very heavy rainfall in both North Goa and South Goa districts in next 24 hours and issued an 'orange alert'.

It has predicted strong winds with speed reaching 45 to 50 km per hour and gusting up to 65 kmph along the Maharashtra-Goa coast.

Fishermen have been advised not to venture into the sea due to the rough weather, though the fisheries department lifted the ban on fishing in the state from August 1.