After rain, WRD halts rejuvenation of Khandepar river

Ponda: Pre-monsoon showers during the intervening night of Wednesday and Thursday have led the water resources department (WRD) to abort rejuvenation operations of Khandepar river.

Following the increase of water level to above normal, WRD has stopped augmentation of Khandepar river basin by bringing in raw water from additional sources.

On Friday evening, the river level at Opa water works was 4.9m, which is much above the normal level of 3.5m. Last year, the river level was above 5m, leading to overflow from the barrage gates.

The overflow that was followed by a timely monsoon continued until October 23 last year.

WRD minister Subhash Shirodkar said after rise in the Khandepar river level, his department has stopped procuring water from outside.

This was being done so that the Opa water treatment plants could draw sufficient raw water for treatment. WRD was pumping out water from mining pits at Codli and Zarapkar mine at Satone Dabal, both in Dharbandora. Altogether, 30 million litres per day (MLD) of water were being pumped into the river so that the level at Opa remained within normal range. This was in addition to the 70 MLD water from Ganjem river and 48 MLD water from Selaulim dam, assistant engineer Shailesh Naik said.

The pumping was meant to rejuvenate the Khandepar/Opa river which helps all the water treatment plants at Opa.

The Opa water works, which supply around 152 million litres per day (MLD) of water to Ponda and Tiswadi talukas, has five separate plants.