Goa: Khandepar water level decreases after supply from Ganjem stops

PONDA: Rejuvenation of the Khandepar river has been affected after stoppage of water supply from the Ganjem scheme. This is the second instance of the Ganjem authorities discontinuing supply to the Khandepar within a week. It had last halted supply on Tuesday, resulting in a drop in levels at Opa Water Works.
The level of the Khandepar, meanwhile, has been dropping drastically.On Wednesday, the level of the river at Opa was 3.31m, but dropped to 2.94m the very next day. Under normal conditions, this level reduces only by 5cm per day.
To remedy the depletion, the WRD opened two more gates of the Okamb Dharbandora bandhara on Thursday to swiftly rejuvenate it.
The WRD usually routes water from the Ganjem and the Selaulim dams into the Khandepar river. It also uses water stored in its bandharas over the Khandepar, Kalay, and Udnhoi rivers for the purpose. When the level of the Khandepar plunges during the summers, the WRD pours around 70MLD of water from the Mhadei through a special pipeline. But a joint of the pipeline has been wrecked and officials are repairing it, said Krishnakant Patil, a superintending engineer of the WRD.