THE loud assertions by the state’s PWD Minister, Mr Churchill Alemao that his department is catering to all the water requirements of the Verna industrial estate do not match the ground reality.
The Goa Industrial Development Corporation (GIDC) chairman, Mr Chandrakant Kavlekar said the PWD supplies only 0.8 MLD of the total requirement of 5 MLD. The remaining water is drawn from the ground through bore wells. The GIDC is in the process of building a ` 2.42 crore project to harvest rain water to make up for the shortfall in supply. More importantly, a proposal to build a pipeline to supply raw water from the Selaulim dam to the estate at the cost of ` 40 crore is awaiting the nod of the Chief Minister, Mr Digambar Kamat who is also the Finance Minister. While construction of a pipeline to supply part of the water is an option, it should not be the only one. The water requirements should come from a combination of ground water, rain water harvesting and the PWD. This would ensure better usage and management of water resources.
Source: http://www.navhindtimes.in/opinion/managing-water-resources