Goa has a supply of drinking water that can last for about a month, the government said, as the coastal state witnesses a decline in monsoon rainfall.
State Water Supply Department Minister Subhash Val Desai told PTI on Thursday that water levels in various reservoirs in the state have dropped significantly in the absence of rain.
“But there is no need to panic. There is enough water to meet the requirements for a month,” he said, adding that the state government would issue strict warnings to ensure that the existing water does not run out before then.
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He said he was receiving calls from various sectors including industries inquiring about the status of water supply in the state.
Val Desai said his ministry will hold a meeting with Water Resources Management Minister Subhash Shirodkar “to evaluate the water data available in various dams across the state.”
He said the state government had improved the water distribution system to ensure there was no shortage.
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“There is no scarcity at the moment, but that does not mean it will not happen in the future,” he warned.
According to the minister, the Silulim dam, which supplies water to the entire South Goa, Kushvati district and parts of North Goa, is 27 per cent full. Its capacity is 280 million liters (one million liters per day).
He said the stock at Anjunem Dam, located in Sattari taluka in North Goa, has come down to 9.9 per cent. This project, located on the border of Goa and Karnataka, has a withdrawal capacity of 50 million litres, which is processed at plants set up at Badoshi and Dattawadi.
The water level in Misal dam in Shiroda, near Ponda in North Goa, is 19 per cent, Val Desai said. The dam’s withdrawal capacity ranges from 10 to 14 million dinars.
Chapoli Dam, which is located in the southernmost taluka of Canacona, has an abundance of water, Val Desai said, adding that there will be no shortage of water in Canacona.
The Amthani reservoir, which supplies water to Bardez taluka in north Goa, also has “good” reserves, he added.
The Indian Meteorological Department expects rainfall activities to resume in the state by the end of next week.
