Team Herald
PONDA: The newly constructed bandhara cum footbridge on the Dudhsagar-Opa river at Ambe-Dhulay will add 1.5 lakh cubic mtrs of water to the Opa water works storage facility, said sources from the Water Resources Department.
The villagers of Dharbandora say they have waited forty years for this unique structure, which serves a dual purpose- it stores water to ensure uninterrupted supply and also serves as a connecting bridge between the villages of Ambe-Dhulay and Dabal.
“For years, we used a makeshift bridge to travel to Dabal, and this temporary bridge could only be used during the summer and winter months. It was not safe to use during the monsoon months; during the rains we had to cover a distance of six km to reach Dabal by road,” said a villager from Ambe-Dhulay.
Work on the project commenced in December 2018 and it was expected to be completed by November 2019. However, the project was finally completed only in May 2022 and the bandhara was filled to full capacity on Wednesday afternoon.
The 71 metre-long bandhara-cum-footbridge is 8.5m high and 2.6m wide. The idea for the footbridge was mooted by Sanvordem MLA Ganesh Gaonkar as locals were facing hardships to get across the river during the monsoon.
The bandhara, which was built at a cost of Rs 5 crore, was planned to augment the water supply to the Opa water treatment plant during the summer and to meet irrigation needs of farmers in the agrarian village. It will also help recharge groundwater, said WRD officials.
There are 24 bandharas on the Dudhsagar-Opa river that will now collectively store 35.32 lakh cu mtrs of water, which will be used when the river’s water level dips during the summer months.
