Goa Issues Advisory for the Monsoon Months of June to September

  

Prakash Kamat

Panaji,June 3- The southwest monsoon is likely to hit Goa’s coast within the next couple of days according to the India meteorological department(IMD). Also, with the entry of the monsoons in Goa the fishing ban has come into effect on June 1 and end on July 31st  as it isn't safe for trawlers to venture into the seas during the monsoon. 

Drishti's, lifeguard service which patrols Goa's beaches has advised people and tourists to take safety and precautionary measures while venturing on beaches of Goa.

Because of the impending monsoons and current weather conditions, red flags have been posted across all beaches under Drishti's supervision, indicating that these are strictly no-swim zones.

"Pre-monsoon showers have already hit Goa," said Navin Awasthi, Operations Head, Drishti Marine. He went on to say, “Light showers have been seen along the coast in recent days. We have placed red flags at all of the beaches to indicate that the area is not suitable for swimming. Even wading into the water is not advised. Our team of lifeguards stationed along the coast is keeping an eye on the weather. The team has been trained to perform rescues even in bad weather."

Drishti advises visitors to avoid rocky areas, cliffs, and hills along the shoreline. During the monsoon season, these are considered perilous due to their slippery nature. The wave height, intensity, and frequencies of the waves in the sea too are extremely high, making it easy to get pulled into the ferocious sea. River bathing, including water sports, is prohibited. Drishti Marine monitors sea conditions and weather conditions on a daily basis. 

#ListenToYourLifesaver: Safety tips for the monsoons by Drishti, Goa’s lifesaver agency:

• We advise visitors not to venture onto the beach. Even wading into the waters is not advisable. 

• Wear a mask and maintain social distancing at all times.

• Those visiting the beach should keep a minimum 10 metres away from the waterline and listen to the instructions given by the lifesavers.

• Keep a very close eye on children while on the beach and do not allow children to venture into the waters unattended, no matter how shallow it may be .

• Stay alert as lifesavers while patrolling make announcements to alarm and educate people via the Public Address System put up on the jeeps.

• It is not suitable to head out to the beach or venture into the water during lightning and thunder because lightning can pose a danger. 

• Do not get onto the rocks during low tide because the rocks get a lot more slippery and mossy during the monsoon season.

• It is not advisable to swim or to engage in any water sports activities at the beach during the monsoons from June to September because even though the sea may seem calm, a sudden large wave can sneak up on you and pull you into deep waters without warnings. 

•  If under the influence of alcohol make sure you do not venture into the water. 

• Always read and obey the safety signs found at the main entrance of the beach(eom)

Konkan Railway Gears for Monsoon-2022

Prakash Kamat

Panaji, June 2-Just ahead of monsoons when Konkan region is known to receive heavy rainfall, Konkan Railway completed the planned safety works on its 740km route and now gears up for the onset of monsoon season. 

Special attention has been given to catch water drain cleaning and inspection of cuttings. The large-scale geo-safety works executed along the railway line in the last few years have significantly reduced the incidences of boulder fall and soil slip, thus ensuring safe running of trains. No major disruption to train services have occured on account of boulder fall during monsoons in the last nine years,says a spokesperson of the Konkan Railways.

Konkan Railway will conduct Monsoon Patrolling as per the prescribed guidelines  to ensure safe running of trains. About 846 personnel will patrol the Konkan Railway route during the monsoon. Identified vulnerable locations will be patrolled round the clock, Stationary Watchmen will be deployed for 24 hours and speed restrictions will be imposed at these locations. BRN mounted excavators have been kept ready at nominated points for quick movement in case of any emergency.

Instructions have also been issued to loco pilots to run the trains at a reduced speed of 40 kmph in case of heavy rainfall when visibility is limited. Self-propelled ARMVs (Accident Relief Medical Van), with provision of Operation Theater and emergency medical aid are kept ready at Ratnagiri and Verna.  The ART (Accident Relief Train) is also kept ready at Verna.

Mobile phones have been provided to all safety category staff to contact the control office / station in an emergency. Both Loco Pilots and Guards of trains have been provided with Walkie-talkie sets as well as every station on Konkan Railway is equipped with a 25 Watt VHF base station. This enables wireless communication between the train crew as well as train crew and Station Master. Emergency Communication (EMC) sockets have been provided at a distance of average 1 Km along the Konkan Railway route that enables the Patrolmen, Watchmen, Loco Pilots, Guard and other field maintenance staff to contact Station Master and control office during any emergency situations. Satellite phone communication has been provided in ARMV (Accident Relief Medical Van) for emergency contact. All main signal aspects on Konkan Railway are now replaced with LEDs for improving signal visibility.

Self-recording rain gauges have been installed at 9 stations viz. Mangaon, Chiplun, Ratnagiri, Vilwade, Kanakavali, Madgaon, Karwar, Bhatkal & Udupi which will record the rainfall in the region and alert Officials in case of increased rainfall. Flood warning systems for bridges have been provided at 3 locations viz. Kali river (between Mangaon & Veer), Savitri river (between Veer & Sape Wamane), Vashishti river (between Chiplun & Kamathe) and will alert Officials in case water flow reaches above danger Level. Anemometers have been installed at 04 locations viz. Panval viaduct (between Ratnagiri & Nivasar), Mandovi bridge (between Thivim & Karmali ), Zuari bridge ( Karmali & Verna) and Sharavati bridge (between Honnavar & Manki) to monitor the wind velocity. 

Control rooms at Belapur, Ratnagiri and Madgaon, will work 24 x 7 during monsoon period for ensuring safe running of trains. Monsoon Time Table will come into effect from 10th June, 2022 upto 31st Oct, 2022. Passengers may check train status online during monsoon by visiting www.konkanrailway.com or using KRCL App by downloading from Google Play Store or by dialing 139.

Konkan Railway aims to ensure safe travel for its passengers in the coming monsoon with the measures taken above,says the spokesperson on Thursday.(eom)