BICHOLIM
Stating that the government is thinking of desilting existing dams in the State, Chief Minister Pramod Sawant has said the Water Resources Department (WRD) should think positively about such a project.
“Every drop of water should be as sacrosanct for us as Amrut,” said Sawant, while speaking at a water conservation workshop organised by the WRD at Ravindra Bhavan in Sankhali.
Around 400 farmers participated in the day-long workshop, a National Hydrology Project funded by the World Bank and DoWR, RD &CR and the Ministry of Jal Shakti.
Sawant said there are 6 dams and more than 300 bandharas in the State that meets the water requirements of the State.
Sawant said the State presently has abundant water and called for proper management, which the State is lacking.
“Work unitedly to resolve water leakages in the State,” Sawant said.
The chief minister said the government is there to help needy farmers under Swayampurna Goa Mission and is spending crores of rupees to construct small bandharas to provide fillip and boost for farming.
Sawant said farmers should lay thrust on proper marketing of their produce and cited various examples, how a farmer can get name and fame globally. He appealed to local farmers to come forward to carry out minor repairs of the fields rather than going for a tender process.
WRD Minister Filipe Neri Rodrigues said the hydrology project, water management and water conservation existed in Goa, which has now been coupled with new and advanced technology.
The minister reiterated government’s commitment to protect the rivers in the State for future posterity of the farmers.
“The challenges before society are to adopt the latest methods in farming and water conservation. Focus should be also given on advanced water conservation methods,” he said.
Reacting to concerns about shortage of water, Rodrigues said water may well be traded in years to come and underlined the need to preserve natural water resources.
“Government officers and various stakeholders should prepare a document to preserve and conserve water resources in the State,” he added.
Others present at the workshop included Atul Jain (Deendayal Research Institute, New Delhi), Pradeep Garule (Yashada, Pune), Hemant Vasekar (Sindhudurga), and Shrikant Patil (WRD Chief Engineer).
