Panaji: Drinking water minister Subhash Phal Desai said on Wednesday that if Goa does not receive rainfall over the next 15 days, the state would witness water shortage issues in some areas. Desai said that there has been no water shortage till now, and that there is still enough drinking water for a month.
“We will issue guidelines in the next two days,” he said. Phal Desai suggested that people stop using drinking water for washing their vehicles, gardening, and cleaning their floor. “We must save water and use it judiciously,” he said.
Desai said that there has always been a hue and cry about water shortage in Goa, but today, “we are in mid-June, and despite no rains, there is no shortage of water supply due to water management”.
Despite the southwest monsoon arriving in Goa on schedule, the state is witnessing one of its weakest starts to the rains in recent memory, with rainfall activity remaining unusually subdued and weather conditions resembling the pre-monsoon period.
The drinking water demand for Goa, including domestic, non-domestic, and floating population, is 695 million litres per day (MLD), and there is currently a shortfall of 62 MLD, according to government data. While Goa faces 38% non-revenue water (loss of treated water from the supply chain due to old pipelines), the government is building new water treatment projects with a combined capacity of 248 MLD. The water resources department is also in the process of building 100 new bandharas to increase raw water storage.
TOI reported earlier this week that water levels in Selaulim, which supplies water to most of South Goa, are presently at 28%. Water levels in Goa’s reservoirs are at their lowest levels from mid-May until June, just before the arrival of the monsoon. Around this time, the Water Resources Department (WRD) closely monitors the release of raw water from the reservoirs, and the flow of water for irrigation is controlled if required.
Data released by the India Meteorological Department (IMD), Goa, shows that between June 1 and June 16, Goa received just 165.8 mm of rainfall against the normal of 405.5 mm, resulting in a cumulative deficit of 59.1%. North Goa recorded a deficit of 63.1%, while South Goa registered a deficit of 55.5%.
Speaking on water pipelines breaking, Desai blamed telecom companies for digging roads and breaking the pipes. He said that instructions have been issued to file FIRs against the telecom companies responsible. “We will recover the water loss and ask them to pay,” he said.
Phal Desai also said that without his department’s knowledge, the Public Works Department (PWD) and other departments take up digging work.
