Govt aims to meet state’s drinking water needs in six months

Margao: Minister for drinking water Subhash Phal Dessai on Wednesday said that the state’s drinking water requirements will be fully met within the next six months.The minister said a series of infrastructure upgrades are already under way to boost supply. “We are trying to regulate water supply from the Selaulim dam. We have laid additional pipelines and set up more water treatment plants. I think within the next six months, Goa’s requirements for drinking water will be fully met,” Phal Dessai said.Govt is also exploring long-term alternative sources of water. Phal Dessai said that proposals for sourcing water from abandoned mining pits were being actively evaluated, while desalination of seawater is also on the table — a move he said would make the coastal belt self-sustaining in water supply.