25 Mar 2023  |   05:42am IST

Water level dips in Opa plant; WRD says full bhandaras will tide us over this summer

Team Herald

PONDA: With Goa facing scorching summer temperatures, the water level at the OPA Water Treatment Plant that supplies drinking water to Ponda and Tiswadi talukas has fallen drastically. However, officials said there is no need to worry as 18  bandharas on the river are filled with water, and will be opened as per the requirement. WRD officials appealed to the public to use water in a judicious manner.

The officials said that the water requirement has increased due to the hot weather, and as a result, the water level in the Khandepar river has fallen.  The WRD has been rejuvenating the water body by sourcing water from the Ganjem water scheme. Around 70 MLD of water from the Ganjem bandhara was poured into the Opa river, however, due to some technical problem at 

Ganjem, the supply was halted, causing the level at Opa to fall to 3.23m on Wednesday. 

WRD then opened the Okamb-Dharbandora bandhara to rejuvenate the Opa-Khandepar river basin, following which the water level has gone up, and needs to be 

maintained, for optimum pumping.

There are 18 bandharas on the Khandepar and Kalay rivers - 12 bandharas over the Opa- Khandepar rivers with a capacity of 21.8 lakh cu mtr of water, and a total of 4.5 lakh 

cu mtr spread across 

six bandharas over the Kalay river.