BICHOLIM: Stating that the government is planning of desilting the existing dams in State, Chief Minister Dr Pramod Sawant on Tuesday said that the Water Resources Department (WRD) should plan positively about such a project.
The Chief Minister was speaking at a water conservation workshop organised by WRD at Ravindra Bhavan, Sanquelim.
Around 400 farmers participated in the day-long workshop, a National Hydrology Project funded by World Bank and Department of Water Resources, RD and GR and the Ministry of Jal Shakti.
Sawant said there are six dams and more than 300 “bandharas” in the State that meets the water requirements of the State.
The Chief Minister said, “The State presently has abundant water and called for proper management, which the State is lacking.”
“The government is there to help the needy farmers under Swayampurna Goa Mission and is spending crores of rupees to construct small ‘bandharas’ to boost farming,” the Chief Minister said.
He said, “The farmers should lay thrust on proper marketing of their produce and cited various examples, how a farmer can get name and fame globally.”
The Chief Minister appealed to the local farmers to come forward to carry out minor repairs of the fields rather than going for a tender process.
WRD Minister Filipe Neri Rodrigues also spoke on the occasion. “Hydrology project, water management and conservation existed in the State, which has now been coupled with new and advanced technology,” he said.
The minister reiterated the government’s commitment to protect the rivers in the State for future posterity of the farmers.
