It’s been 35 years and the Tillari Irrigation project – a joint venture of Goa and Maharashtra – has failed to quench the thirst of Goans.
Despite spending money literally allowed to flow out the State coffers on the repairs of the Tillari canals, Goa, which bears 75% of construction cost, has failed to acquire its rightful share of the water. Both the canals of Tillari have been shut down once again till December 15 for repairs and Bardez and Pernem will have to bear the brunt as water will be supplied on alternate days to the two talukas.
The administration has failed to meet the water demands of the people who have no alternative but suffer in silence. When will these canals, which are allegedly choked with corruption, be permanently repaired so that Goa finally receives uninterrupted water supply from Tillari? Tillari’s water is supposed to be treated at Assonora Water Treatment Plant and then supplied to the entire Bardez and Bicholim talukas. A doppler system was implemented in canal beds with the help of the World Bank to measure the amount of water Goa receives from Maharashtra. It is said that the system would help in finding out the water level in the canals. This is more like the case of treating the feet while the injury is in the hips. To constantly float tenders for repairs while keeping the chasms as they are seems to be the trick. When will the canals come out of this vicious cycle? A meeting between Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde and his Goan counterpart Pramod Sawant was held in June this year to discuss the state Tillari is in after just 10 years. It was unanimously agreed to revive both the canals and an estimated amount of Rs 330 crore was granted approval. If Goa doesn’t take concrete steps now itself considering the dangerous potential water scarcity in the future, the situation will turn horrid in the coming 10 years.
It’s been seven years since the water policy for the State was drafted but it has stayed only on the paper. Not a single suggestion from the policy has made it to the stage of implementation. The government in particular does not seem to be serious at all regarding the care required in terms of ground water extraction and recharge. On an average, Goa is visited by around 60 lakh tourists every year. One can imagine the amount of water required to meet the heavy demand. Where does this water come from? Is it possible for the government to be completely unaware about groundwater extraction? However, if the tanker mafias are protected by the authorities themselves, then they are bound to have a field day. The tanker mafias have destroyed innumerable natural water resources by illegally extracting lakhs of litres of water. There are recommendations in the new Water Policy regarding how and who can penalise the tanker mafias. How many such illegal activities have been tracked down? Construction revenue contributes 10% to Goa’s GDP, which speaks volumes regarding how rampant concretisation is in the State. However, should the Town and Country Planning Department not think about the water management while granting permissions to huge residential complexes with hundreds of flats? Or does the department exist only to make changes in land development plans? An area 2-3 kilometers away from Marcel receives water every four days and it has come to light that a huge complex featuring 200 flats has been given permission. What happened to the promise of making rainwater harvesting compulsory for the residential complexes, which was made by the PWD Minister Nilesh Cabral?
It is no secret that the entire State of Goa will suffer if the government has no plans to revive and restore the natural groundwater sources which were destroyed due to excessive mining. There are two laws of the Goa government in relation to water management. The Irrigation Act passed in 1973 deals with surface level water sources and the self-explanatory The Goa Groundwater Regulation Act of 2002. However, these Acts were neither properly implemented nor were timely amendments made. These laws are seemingly only on paper.
There are nine rivers flowing through Goa, namely Tiracol, Chapora, Baga, Mandovi, Zuari, Sal, Saleri, Talpona and Galjibaga – out of which Tiracol, Chapora, Mandovi and Zuari are interstate rivers. The rest of the rivers flow within the boundaries of the State are in a worrisome state. The destruction of hillocks and massive deforestation under the garb of development has not only destroyed the natural water sources, but the decrease in green cover has also led to silt accumulating in the riverbeds. The same is the situation with the dams at Selaulim, Khandepar, Amthane and Anjuna. Will the government ever think of evaluating such a serious situation? Every year, the news regarding dams overflowing its capacity or being filled to the brim occupies multiple columns in newspapers. However, will there be a review of the original capacity when the dam was built and its current storage capacity? Instead of seriously pondering over these issues, the ministers are making irresponsible statements to the effect of exporting Goa’s rainwater to Dubai and receiving petrol in exchange. With such an attitude, Swayampurna Goa will remain only on paper while Har Ghar Jal will have to be renamed as Har Ghar Only Nal (taps).
