Team Herald
CANACONA: With all the major fresh water reservoirs in Goa filling upto the brim and overflowing by mid-July this year, Canaconkars are worried that their own Chapoli dam is not even a bit closer to its maximum water level capacity.
Like other places in Goa, Canacona taluka has received relentless rains over the previous weeks, which till now has recorded 184 cm.
And at about 180 cm of rainfall last year, the Chapoli dam, considered to be the life line of Canacona taluka, was full and overflowing.
The 760 mts earthen Chapoli dam catering to the irrigational and drinking water needs is an indispensable reservoir.
The dam which gives water to most of the Canacona taluka is fed by a Nallah originating from the hills of Chapoli and neighbouring areas and has a catchment area of as less as 6.8 sq. km.
The demand of the locals to divert the Sakre Voll flowing adjacent to this mini reservoir has not found favours with the water resource department till now.
Due to the low catchment area of the dam, the reservoir in some years remains unfilled.
Even if it gets full, the entire water doesn’t get replenished and locals had complained in the past about their concern over the supply of stagnant water to the drinking needs of the taluka. This might not be healthy for drinking, feel locals.
Anil Bhagat, who stays close to the dam, suggested that if the stagnant water has to be exchanged by fresh water then the authorities have to divert the adjacent Sakre Voll to the dam.
“This will make sure that the dam fills upto its capacity each year and the stagnant water from previous years will also get restored with the new rains, which will not only be beneficial to the residents, but also favourable for the marine life living in the dam waters,” Bhagat opined.
