A day after residents of Dungi village staged a roadblock demanding rehabilitation owing to flooding, CIDCO MD Lokesh Chandra and Joint Managing Director Prajakta Lavangare visited the area on Wednesday.
Adesh Naik, a farmer from the village, said, “We have some hope now. At least the officials have heard and acknowledged our problems. Since the rain has subsided, there is no water inside the house. We are, however, still afraid to enter our homes as there are snakes and insects. In one day I killed three snakes.”
Mr. Naik said the officials promised to provide a relief package which would be drawn up by the government for project affected people. “We hope our sufferings end soon,” he said.
Mr. Chandra said the objective of the visit was to understand the actual problems faced by the villagers. He said, “The disaster management team has been instructed to provide immediate help to the villagers. We will provide all kind of support to them to survive against unpredictable natural calamities. Directions will be given to the technical team to make necessary arrangements to prevent waterlogging in the village.”
Mohan Ninawe, CIDCO public relations officer, said the model of modified water channels for diversion of Ulwe river was being carried out in consultation with the Central Water and Power Research Station in Pune. He said, “The model is prepared after considering the rainfall of the next 100 years and the highest rainfall in the past in the State. The model is designed so that the airport and nearby houses will not face flooding.”
Ms. Lavangare said, “We also visited the areas near the airport, the point of diversion of Ulwe river and other water channels. We have directed the engineers to take measures during high tide to prevent waterlogging. We have assured the villagers that if required a proposal for rehabilitation and resettlement will be submitted to the government.”
