Incessant rains in Goa have broken 67 year-old weather record as the coastal state recorded its wettest October since 1952. The rains, which have intensified due to Cyclone Kyarr, have thrown life out of normalcy in the state with heavy damage to crops and livelihood. According to a report in the Times of India, the previous record of maximum rainfall for October in the state dates back to 1952 when the recorded precipitation was 296.7 mm, whereas the rainfall in the ongoing October month rose to 448.6 mm Friday. Issuing a fresh warning, the Indian Meteorological Department’s (IMD) Goa observatory on Friday had advised tourists to stay indoors and asked fishermen to avoid venturing into the sea. “Squally wind speed reaching 55-65 kmph gusting to 75 kmph is likely to prevail along and off Ratnagiri, Sindhudurg, Raigad districts of Maharashtra as well as Goa,” the weather agency informed PTI. Several roads, including parts of the highway connecting Canacona to Margao in South Goa, have been submerged. The water level of the Mandovi river has been rising, restricting the movement of people to and fro the islands of Chorao and Diwar, located across the river near Panaji, an official said. “In view of the rising water level of the Mandovi River, we have temporarily discontinued ferry services from these islands to the mainland,” a senior official from the River and Navigation Department told PTI.
