Panaji: Traffic disrupted due to landslide, IMD issues ‘orange’ alert
Panaji: A landslide occurred in Goa’s Ghat section in the wee hours of Thursday following incessant rains, disrupting vehicular movement from the state to neighbouring Karnataka, police said. The India Meteorological Department (IMD) has issued an ‘orange alert’ for Goa, predicting heavy rainfall in the next 24 hours. In the past one day, both North Goa and South Goa districts received heavy rainfall. According to the IMD, South Goa’s Ponda taluka received the highest rainfall of 190 mm. The landslide occurred near the Dudhsagar temple on Anmod Ghat on Goa’s southern border, which leads to Karnataka, a police official said. He said traffic was disrupted from the Ghat section to areas like Belgaum and Khanapur in Karnataka.
“A huge pile of mud was seen on the road near Shree Dudhsagar Temple in the Ghat area. Fire and emergency services personnel rushed to the spot to clear it, but it could not be removed till morning,” he said. The official said traffic movement through Anmod Ghat will remain closed at least till noon. Anmod Ghat is an important connecting road between Goa and Karnataka, used to travel to Belgaum and Khanapur in Karnataka and Kolhapur in Maharashtra. According to sources, several vehicles were seen stranded in the ghat section after the incident. Police stopped vehicles at the Mollem check post and alerted travellers about the landslide. Many vehicles carrying essential commodities like milk and vegetables pass through this route.
Heavy rains continued in Goa on Thursday amid an ‘orange’ alert. The IMD bulletin said that heavy rains at isolated places and very heavy rainfall at a few places are likely in North Goa and South Goa districts along with strong winds. According to the IMD, the Indian National Centre for Ocean Information Services (INCOIS) has issued a high wave warning for the North Goa coast from Chapora to Panaji (Molem). It said, “High waves in the range of 3.7-4.0 m are forecast from 17:30 hrs on 16-07-2024 to 23:30 hrs on 18-07-2024. It is advised that small vessels should not ply and coastal recreational activities should be completely suspended as erosion/wave surge is possible.” In the 24-hour period ending at 8.30 am on Thursday, South Goa received 121.4 mm rainfall, while North Goa recorded 96.3 mm rainfall. According to IMD data, Ponda taluka in South Goa received the highest rainfall of 190 mm, followed by Mormugao at 121.4 mm and Margao at 118.1 mm (both in South Goa).
