TEAM HERALD
teamherald@herald-goa.com
PANJIM: The Public Works Department (PWD) has expressed concern that any delay in the completion of the repair works on the breached side of the Tillari canal could affect water supply to Bardez this summer.
Since the canal was breached a fortnight ago, Bardez has already been reeling under in water supply shortfall by 20 MLD.
PWD officials said that as much as 115 MLD of water from the Tillari canal used to feed the Assonora treatment plant that supplied water to Bardez and key areas of Mapusa, Calangute and Porvorim.
Since the breach, the PWD is drawing 95 MLD water from the Assonora and Poddoxem river to feed the Assonora treatment plant. PWD Chief Engineer WD 1, D Borkar when contacted by Herald said, “This arrangement is on over the last two weeks after the breach in the canal.
This arrangement has been worked out to meet the present contingencies and we are hoping that the repairs will be completed and the Tillari canal will be commissioned at the earliest.
Presently, people of Bardez have to put up with cut off in water supply, which earlier lasted for 24 hours. PWD is trying its level best to ensure that consumers are not affected. The PWD is however wary of the days to come as temperate levels are already on the rise. In fact the Tillari Irrigation Corporation fears that Kalna river levels may start dipping from where PWD draws 15 MLD for supply to Pernem taluka since the Tillari canal breach.
As far as Assonora river, the Water Resources Department feeds it with water drawn from the Amtane Dam. While at the moment alternate arrangements have been made to meet all the contingencies, fears are that this may not hold for too long, possibly not beyond two months from now.
The Tillari Irrigation Corporation, Managing Director, P J Kamat when contacted by Herald said, “We are hoping that the breach is repaired within the next one month.”
Kamat who conducted a site inspection Friday pointed out that work is on by the Maharashtra government to repair the breach at the earliest.
Though there was no movement at the site Friday, Kamat ruled out any slackness in the repair work. He agreed that both the farmers and the PWD in Goa are anxious over this issue and the corporation and the WRD are taking steps to ensure supply of water from other sources.
