PANJIM: The State Wildlife Board on Wednesday approved the proposal of the Water Resources Department (WRD) for construction of Dam in Mhadei Wildlife Sanctuary at Charaunem Village in Sattari Taluka.
In a press statement, it said that the Chief Minister Pramod Sawant, who chaired the meeting, said that construction of dam at Charaunem will not only have direct benefit to 250 farmers families to have sustainable water for irrigation but also indirectly benefit wild and domesticated animals as it will develop a new ecosystem.
During the meeting, Sawant also directed Forest Department to ban use of alcohol and plastic bottle in the entry point of forests and resolved to appoint lifeguards at the major waterfalls in the forest and protected areas and reopen for tourists.
Reacting to the decision, environmentalist Rajendra Kerkar said that the WRD will have to obtain environmental clearance from the Ministry of Environment and Forest & Climate Change (MoEF&CC) and the National Board for Wildlife (NBWL).
“Whatever Chief Minister is saying is not a reality and approving the proposal without understanding the ecological laws and norms will set a bad trend by the government,” he said.
Kerkar further said that the proposed dam will not solve water crisis in Sattari because the site is located within 2.5-km diagonal distance of Anjunem dam project. Having two dams within a short distance is technically not feasible, he said.
