MAPUSA
After weeks of concern over a weak monsoon and rapidly depleting water reserves, the widespread rainfall over the last few days has dramatically improved the storage position of Goa’s reservoirs, raising hopes that the State will comfortably sail through the year without facing a water crisis.
Six of the seven reservoirs supplying drinking and irrigation water to Goa have now crossed the 50 per cent storage mark, including the Tillari reservoir in neighbouring Maharashtra, which is a vital source of raw water for North Goa.
The biggest turnaround has been witnessed at the Selaulim dam in South Goa, the State’s largest reservoir, where storage has jumped from around 48 per cent on Wednesday last week to 66 per cent following just three days of steady rainfall in the catchment areas.
While North Goa’s Anjunem reservoir continues to remain the lowest among all dams, even it has shown encouraging signs of recovery.
Storage has increased from 26 per cent to 36 per cent within three days, easing concerns over water availability for areas dependent on the reservoir.
The Amthane dam, which supplies drinking water to Bardez and parts of Bicholim, has climbed to 68 per cent storage, while the Chapoli and Gaunem reservoirs in Canacona have reached 55 per cent and 77 per cent respectively. The Panchwadi dam, which caters to Shiroda and neighbouring villages, has also crossed the halfway mark and currently stands at 53 per cent.
Across the State border, the Tillari dam in Maharashtra has reached 62 per cent of its designed live storage, providing further relief as it supplements Goa’s drinking water and irrigation requirements. The sharp improvement in reservoir levels comes after an anxious start to the monsoon season, when deficient rainfall had triggered fears of water shortages if the dry spell continued.
However, the recent widespread showers over the Western Ghats and other catchment areas have significantly replenished the State’s water reserves within a matter of days.
With nearly the entire month of August – traditionally one of the wettest months of the southwest monsoon – still remaining, water resource officials are optimistic that all reservoirs could reach or come close to full capacity before the monsoon begins to withdraw.
The India Meteorological Department has forecast light to moderate rainfall across both North and South Goa until July 25, which is expected to further improve inflows into the reservoirs.
