A water shortage, which had not taken place in Sattari for the last 20 years, is being observed today. Due to a rainfall deficit in the last few years, the main rivers of the taluka have been adversely affected; they have been running dry for the last one month, affecting various sectors. The Water Resources Department (WRD) had constructed bandharas at many locations, but almost 50 percent of the bandhara bed is thirsting for water.
The government has constructed a bandhara project on four main rivers of Sattari, namely Mhadei, Velus, Ragada and Valvanti to save water. It has shown positive results, such as improving the groundwater level and preventing wells from running dry, which usually happened between February and May.
However, this year, the water level has drastically gone down due to many reasons, the main ones being low rainfall last year, a faulty system of storing water in the bandharas and improper planning.
As per sources, the WRD had saved water in October even though the same was supposed to be done in August, resulting in minimum storage of water. Also, the steel plates that were used to block and store water are damaged, resulting in heavy leakages. For the last four years, people have been demanding that the WRD use new plates, but the Department does not seem to be serious about the same. Due to this, there are heavy losses of water from the bandhara storage area.
Another factor that has badly impacted water storage is that government departments have not desilted the bandharas, resulting in a smaller area for water storage. Some bandhara beds are filled with more than two meters of silt, preventing effective water storage.
The rivers in Sattari are a lifeline for people not only from the taluka, but also from the neighbouring talukas, like Ponda and Bicholim. Valvanti River, which flows from the Keri side, supplies drinking water to Bicholim taluka via the Podocem water treatment plant and also for agricultural development through the canal from the Anjunem dam project. The Mhadei River supplies water from the Ganjem water project to the Opa water treatment plant, which is then supplied to most parts of Ponda and surrounding areas.
Due to the water shortage, many lift irrigation systems have been stopped, adversely affecting agricultural plantations.
Baburao Rane from Khadki, Sattari, who was very upset over the water shortage, said, “Plantations will not survive without water, especially banana plantations. We have invested a lot to preserve our forefathers’ plantations, but the water shortage will wipe out our property.”
Another agriculturist, Vinayak Sawaikar from Patwal, stated, “There are many reasons for the shortfall of water this year, such as low rainfall, but it could have been overcome through many ways, like storing water early. This could have reduced the burden of the water shortage. The authorities should not neglect this, which could create adverse effects.”
Fati Gaonkar, a zilla panchayat member, blamed the lack of planning by the Water Resources Department; she stated that the department had not taken serious steps to stop heavier leakages from bandharas.
