Panaji: Chief Minister Pramod Sawant on Monday said the Union government has assured over Rs 280 crore for improvement work of Anjunem dam and repair of its canal. He held a meeting with Union Minister for Jal Shakti, C R Patil, in Delhi.
Details of the Funding
Sawant stated that the work will be undertaken by the Water Resource Department (WRD). He added that the state government has already submitted a detailed project report on the dam's development. The funds will be used to strengthen the dam structure and restore the canal system to ensure efficient water distribution.
Irrigation and Water Management
Besides Anjunem dam, Sawant said they held discussions on strengthening irrigation projects in Goa and improving water distribution systems. The aim is to ensure sustainable water management and enhanced support for agriculture and rural development in the state. The meeting focused on modernizing existing infrastructure and implementing new technologies for better water conservation.
Meeting with Environment Minister
Sawant also met Union Minister for Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEFCC) Bhupender Yadav. They discussed various aspects of sustainable development and green growth in Goa. The conversation covered sand extraction in the state's rivers, after which Yadav asked Sawant to submit the reports prepared by the National Institute of Oceanography (NIO) on the topic.
Sawant said that Yadav has assured to examine the report and take a decision. NIO has completed studies for Chapora, Mandovi and Zuari rivers. According to Sawant, the NIO reports show that the majority of sand deposits are in the salinity-influenced areas of these rivers.
Amendments Sought for Sand Mining
Considering the peculiar case of Goa as highlighted in the NIO report, and also considering the customary rights of the local population and extraction only by manual methods, amendments are being sought in the CRZ notification, 2011 and 2019, and sustainable sand mining guidelines, 2016 and 2020, the CM said in the letter to the Centre.
The state government has maintained that the prohibition of sand extraction under these notifications adversely affected the availability of sand besides the livelihood of dependent families. The proposed amendments aim to balance environmental concerns with the needs of local communities.
