Team Herald
CANACONA: There may be complaints of tap running dry in Canacona, but the amount of water available in the Chapolim dam is enough for coming 500 days.
Canacona taluka is supplied treated water from dams, river, open wells, bore wells and springs. Since rivers, spring and wells run dry during the summer season, people from Canacona face water scarcity.
With a submergence area of 110 hectares, the Chapolim dam has the capacity to hold 1122 hectare meters of water at overflow level; at a reduced level of 32 meters, the water available presently is 552 hectare meters.
Water from this dam is pumped through 400 mm dia pipeline to the two water treatment plants located at Shristhal with a combined capacity of 15 MLD (million litters per day).
Since Talpona river has run dry upstream, supply from this is cut off to the water treatment plants, the pipeline from Chapolim dam is not in a position to withstand the pressure to pump the water to the water treatment plants at Shristhal resulting in short fall of water to consumers in Canacona.
With over 7650 PWD water consumers, Canacona facing scarcity of water in the summer season mainly because of drop in pressure as most of the supply lines laid over three decades ago are either weak or are too small and can’t cope up to the increasing demand for water in the taluka.
At a meeting of the PWD officials, Canacona MLA Isidore Fernandes instructed the PWD officials to supply water to the people of Canacona on a priority, even to the extent of using water tankers wherever needed.
