Incessant rainfall causes landslides, flooding in Goa-Karnataka borders

Belagavi/Panaji: Landslides hit rail and road traffic on Goa-Karnataka borders, while low-lying villages were inundated, as incessant rains continued to pummel the coastal state for the fourth consecutive day on Wednesday.

A landslide on the Castle Rock (Karnataka) and Vasco da Gama section of the South Western Railway (SWR) hit the rail traffic in the morning hours, a senior railway officer said.

All passengers travelling by Goa Express to Vasco were stranded at Londa Junction in Karnataka and the railways had to make arrangements to bring them to Vasco by special buses, he said.

Similarly, the road traffic on Belagavi (Karnataka)- Goa route was affected after a landslide occurred at Chorla Ghat on the state border in the afternoon hours.

The Chief Minister”s Office has appealed to people not to travel via Chorla Ghat, as it would take at least six hours to clear the debris.

Meanwhile, the low-lying areas in the coastal state”s remote talukas of Sattari and Bicholim witnessed flooding.

Residents of Keri village in Sattari taluka had to wade through knee-deep water, while the situation was similar at Sal village in Bicholim, which was inundated.

Water gushed into the village after the gates of Tillari Dam were opened, Bicholim block Congress leader Meghashyam Raut claimed.