Families evacuated as island off Revora goes under

PANAJI: For the 150-odd islanders of Raneancho Zunvo of Revora panchayat in Bardez, the past few days have been a nightmare as torrential rain and surging water from the Colvale river has forced the authorities to evacuate them.
The river has been flowing above the danger mark for the last couple of days. The small island has around 25-odd houses and is linked by a footbridge.
The heavy rainfall in the up-ghat region has triggered flooding in the area along the river bank. “I have spent two sleepless nights due to tension and lack of power supply,” an elderly islander, Pandarinath Kalangutkar, said. Kalangutkar and other islanders are staying with their relatives on the mainland in Revora, Nadora, and other places.
“We keep walking to the river bank to check the status of the flooding but here is no improvement,” Kalangutkar told TOI. The islanders appear distressed by the calamity as they fear considerable losses to their houses and property as the water is now waist-deep.
“This is the first time after three decades that we have witnessed such flooding,” he said.
The residents attributed the submergence of the island to the release of water from the Tillari dam.