MAPUSA
After missing several deadlines, the Rs 300-crore Sal barrage across the Chapora River at Sal in Bicholim is expected to be commissioned by the end of November after the monsoon. One of Goa’s major water infrastructure projects, the barrage is about 90 per cent complete.
Water Resources Department (WRD) Chief Engineer Dnyaneshwar Salelkar said only the approach roads and related works on both sides remain pending. “The main structure is complete and we can store water in the barrage. Only the approaches are pending. Work has stopped due to the monsoon and will resume after the rains,” Salelkar told The Goan.
Once operational, the barrage is expected to improve raw water availability in North Goa and reduce dependence on the ageing Tillari irrigation canal network, which has suffered repeated breaches and supply disruptions.
The barrage will have a storage capacity of around 45 lakh cubic metres and supply up to 250 million litres per day (MLD) through a dedicated raw water pumping station, WRD officials said.
North Goa has long depended on the Tillari canals for drinking water. Frequent breaches in the ageing network have disrupted raw water supply to treatment plants, affecting water supply in Bardez, Bicholim and parts of Tiswadi, particularly during summer. The Sal barrage is expected to provide a more reliable source of raw water by creating a storage reservoir on the Chapora River that can continue supplying water even if the Tillari canals are disrupted. The project is also expected to help reduce flooding in Sal and nearby low-lying villages through regulated water storage and release during heavy rainfall.
