PANAJI: In an attempt to solve the water woes of the people of Tiswadi and Ponda talukas, the water resource department has taken up a massive river linking project connecting Mhadei river with Kandepar river to boost water level in the Opa water facility.

A source in the water resources department on condition of anonymity informed that the water level of Kandepar river recedes in the summer resulting in water shortage in the Opa water work. He said the Rs 10-crore project has been taken up to link the two rivers at Garjem, which helps in putting an end to water shortage at the Opa facility during summer. 
He said the department has constructed a bandara at Garjem and pumps 35 million litres of water per day from Mhadei into Kandepar river, which in turn maintains the water levels at the Opa facility.
The source observed that this project has gone a long way in reducing the water woes of the people of Panaji who have been facing water shortage over the years due to low water levels in the Kandepar river and added that the department is also working at meeting the water shortage in other parts of North Goa district.
He informed that the work on the Tillari project is going on in full-swing and that the water has now reached the Asnora water work. He also said that work is currently on  to connect the Chandel water facility  hoping that water problems of Bardez taluka should be resolved within the next few months.
The state has written to the Union ministry of water resources urging it to relax the parameters and criteria kept for certain schemes so that Goa can avail of these schemes of the Centre for developing and maintaining water bodies.
The source informed that the Centre has several schemes for development of lakes, ponds and rivers. However, the state has been unable to avail of the schemes   as the state is very small and do not qualify to the parameters laid down by the Centre. He said that these schemes have been developed keeping the big states in mind like Maharashtra, Uttar Pradesh, etc wherein  water from lakes etc have a command of 50 to 100 hectors of land for irrigation.
He said the water bodies in Goa do not have such tanks or water retaining capacity to cater to such vast tracks of land. Hence he said the state government has written to the Centre to relax the parameters for the schemes.