PANJIM: Objecting to Forest Minister Vishwajit Rane’s directives to undertake steps for constructing the Charavane Dam across a small seasonal nullah in the Mhadei Wildlife Sanctuary, Environmentalists said the present dam proposal will hamper the rich forests of the sanctuary and cause irreparable loss to the environment, ecology and wildlife of the area.
Instead of undertaking the work of the proposed Charavane Dam, the Goa government should initiate various strategies necessary for water harvesting and conservation, with a chain of the Vasant Bandharas legally permitted, they urged.
Environmentalist Rajendra Kerkar said the proposed project of irrigation dam at Charavane was lying in the core forested area earlier identified as the Reserve Forests under Section 4 of Indian Forest Act, 1927.
Kerkar said he had vehemently opposed a similar attempt in 2007 made by the then Chief Minister Pratapasingh Rane.
As per the earlier proposal, dam construction required 4.8 hectares and 17 hectares coming under submergence of the project and all these areas come either in the jurisdiction of the Wildlife Sanctuary or the notified Ecological Sensitive Zone (ESZ). Estimated at Rs 15 crore, the Charavane Dam project was opposed as it was lying at the diagonal distance of 2.5-km from the existing Anjunem Irrigation Project of Keri and causing irreparable losses to the rich forest as well as to the natural habitat of the wildlife and to the hydrological regime of the area.
According to Kerkar, in 2007, the Water Resources Department (WRD) had undertaken work without obtaining mandatory clearances from the National Board of Wildlife and the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEF&CC), New Delhi.
“Instead of undertaking the work of the proposed Charavane Dam, I urge Goa government to initiate various strategies necessary for water harvesting and conservation, with a chain of the Vasant Bandharas legally permitted. The present proposal of the dam will hamper the rich forests of the sanctuary and cause irreparable losses to the environment, ecology and wildlife of the area,” Kerkar said.
A fortnight ago, Forest Minister Vishwajit Rane had said that the Charavane Mini Dam is the lifeline of the people of Sattari especially the people of Thane Village Panchayat and that the proposed dam would greatly benefit the farmers, not only in terms of agriculture but also in terms of lift irrigation.
A water treatment plant could also be installed there, supplying treated water to the people and resolving the water supply issue to a large extent, he said.
Rane had said that an initial meeting was already held with WRD Minister Subhash Shirodkar, WRD Chief Engineer P Badami, Poriem MLA Deviya Rane and Forest Department officials.
“We will reconvene the meeting to ensure that we move forward with the necessary permissions and exemptions from the Centre and do whatever the State Wildlife Board, led by Chief Minister Pramod Sawant, intends on the same,” Rane said.
