MAPUSA
The proposed shutdown of the Tillari canal for major repair and maintenance works has been pushed to March next year, with the Goa government asking Maharashtra to defer the work in view of concerns over disruption to the State’s water supply.
WRD Minister Subhash Shirodkar said Maharashtra has acknowledged Goa’s concerns and agreed to the State’s request not to undertake the planned canal repairs from October 1, as originally proposed.
The development comes a day after The Goan reported that the proposed three-month shutdown of the Tillari canal had been put on hold, with the State government yet to give the go-ahead amid concerns over the availability of water during the closure period.
Shirodkar said the government had assessed the alternative arrangements required to compensate for the stoppage of water from the Tillari system and found that these would take at least another two months to put in place.
“We had decided to start the repair work from October 1, but the alternative plans we had made to overcome the stoppage of water from the Tillari canal will take at least another two months. So we have told them to start the repair work of the Tillari canal from March,” Shirodkar said.
He said the delay would provide the State sufficient time to put the alternative arrangements in place before the repair work begins. “So in March we will not have a problem and the alternative plan we have made will also be set,” the minister said.
The Tillari system comprises the main canal originating from the dam and extending towards Dodamarg, from where the right and left bank canals branch out towards Pernem and Bicholim respectively.
According to Shirodkar, the main canal is in a poor condition and requires major repairs.
The repair proposal had raised concerns in Goa because the planned shutdown would have interrupted the flow of water through the canal for an extended period. The WRD had been preparing for a shutdown from October 1 to December 31 to facilitate the maintenance works.
Shirodkar said the State is also examining whether repairs to the right bank canal could be undertaken while maintaining water flow through the left bank canal. “We are also planning to allow the repair of the right bank canal as alternative arrangements can be made for this. Only in the left bank canal we have asked that water may be allowed to flow continuously,” he said.
