Minister tours South to explore options of taping raw water to meet future demands

THE GOAN NETWORK | JUNE 03, 2023, 12:39 AM IST
Minister tours South to explore options of taping raw water to meet future demands

MARGAO

With the government planning to augment water supply to the industrial areas of Verna, Zuari, besides the entire Mormugao taluka, Water Resources Department (WRD) Minister Subhash Shirodkar on Friday undertook a tour of South Goa, including Davorlim and Sarzora and the river Kushavati en route to the Selaulim irrigation dam to explore the possibility of taping raw water to meet the future requirements.

Shirodkar’s objective behind visiting the lakes at Davorlim, Sarzora besides the Kushavati river en route to the Selaulim dam was how to meet the huge demand of the industries at Verna, Zuari and Mormugao for raw water, besides meeting the demand for potable water for the talukas of Salcete and Mormugao for the next 25 years.

The Minister also discussed with senior WRD officials, including Chief Engineer Badami how to meet the request of the Public Works Department for augmenting the water supply for drinking purposes.

After the discussions, Shirodkar informed there’s a huge demand for water, including raw water at Verna Industrial estate, and Mormugao taluka. “We are planning to take raw water to Mormugao to meet the huge demand. Hence, we have proposed to set in motion the planning process so that the proposal is executed in due course,” he said.

He added: “Right now, the requirements of Vasco for water have been met by the department but, we have to plan to cater to the future, say for the next 25 years when Goa celebrates the 100th anniversary of Liberation.”

Saying that April-May are the peak months when the water demand is always high, sometimes resulting in scarcity, Shirodkar said the task before him now is to come up with a strategy on how to meet the future demand.

The WRD Minister said he is visiting the Dicarpale and Sarzora lakes, besides the Kushavati river to explore the possibility of tapping the raw water for supply to Verna and Mormugao. “We have been taping the water from the Kushavati river. But, there is a huge availability of water in this river, which needs to be taped for productive use,” he said.

Saying that WRD officials accompanying him will be compiling a report on the water resources available at Dicarpale, Sarzora and Kushavati rivers, Shirodkar underscored the need for self-sufficiency in water for the next 25 year years.

“Salcete and Mormugao talukas are both densely populated. Both have industrial hubs, which need water to meet the requirement of the industrial units, particularly raw water,” he added.

Meanwhile, the WRD Minister pointed out that works proposed by his department have to undergo the normal process of tendering and issuance of work orders before work could commence. He was responding to a query about when exactly work would commence at the Davorlim spring water beautification project after he had ordered the WRD officials to take the work on priority. 

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