In Goa, there are tens of quarries of hard rocks such as basalt and greywacke, and the relatively softer laterite. These materials are used in infrastructural works such as roads, bridges, and buildings, among others. Some of the quarries may be in operation, while others have been closed for reasons such as being illegal, not economical to operate, ownership issues, no new owners, or the owners having migrated, etc. The Directorate of Mines and Geology could identify and map the neglected quarries and determine whether these are stand-alone or could be networked. The data could be utilised by the Water Resources Department to harvest the copious rainwater which otherwise goes to waste. After treatment, the water could be supplied to nearby villages and towns for drinking and irrigation.
The use of abandoned quarries would solve the problems of drinking water in places where there is an acute scarcity, augment the present supply, and help recharge the groundwater. Fencing would prevent people from swimming in the quarries, as lives have been lost. Inundation and flooding of low-lying areas during the monsoon could be minimised. Further, the breaching, collapse, and potential landslides in lateritic quarries could be averted once these are structurally reinforced. As a pilot study, before the onset of this monsoon, the government could interconnect or use a couple of detached quarries. If the method is successful, it could then be implemented for the other quarries in the coming years.
