Team Herald
PONDA: Murdi-Khandepar locals on Saturday met Chief Minister Pramod Sawant and demanded to reconsider and scrap the proposed construction of bandhara coming up at Khandepar, which will provide water for the proposed 10 MLD water treatment plant at Priol.
The villagers claimed that it is not feasible due to several reasons. The three-metre bandara wall would separate the saline and fresh water and would affect the biodiversity of the area. They would lose fishing activities as the river is rich in shell fish (khubbe) and that the bandhara would also cause flooding in the rainy season as the OPA River floods in the monsoon.
According to Sandeep Parkar, “The said area where water treatment plant is proposed is eco-sensitive and hot-spot for biodiversity. If the bandhara is constructed then the merger of saline and sweet water would stop and the rich biodiversity depended on both sweet and fresh water would be lost forever.”
He said, “The high tide water reaches up to the OPA Water Treatment Plant, at upstream of the river and in case the bandhara is constructed in between the river, then it would destroy the rich biodiversity. Besides, it will deprive the locals of fishing activities, agricultural land and farming activity would also be affected due to flooding.”
“Already there is a provision to provide water to Priol from Ganjem Water Treatment Plant and no need of a bandhara. This bandara water will be supplied to the proposed water treatment plant at Priol,” he added.
Another local, Dilip Gaude said that the locals earn their livelihood by collecting shell fish (khubbe) from the river and selling them. The OPA River dangerously floods during the monsoon and the construction of a bandhara would lead to flooding in the Murdi area. The Curti-Khandepar Panchayat had also withdrawn the resolution taken in favour of a bandhara.
The locals said that the government did not inform them how it will solve the various problems that would arise out of construction of a bandhara.
