Panaji: The Sal barrage is 70% complete and it is expected to become operational by May, water resources department (WRD) chief engineer Dnyaneshwar Salelkar told TOI. He said that this will provide 250MLD more raw water to the state, which will largely be beneficial for Bardez taluka.The project is being constructed at around Rs 300 crore on the Chapora in Sal village in Bicholim taluka. Work on the project has been on for nearly three years now.
Once ready, additional 250MLD of raw water will be available for supply to the water treatment plants for Bardez taluka, which will provide increased drinking water supply to the sub-district.Additionally, the barrage will ensure that there is no flooding when the Chapora breaches its banks during the monsoon.In July 2021, Sal village in Bicholim witnessed its worst floods, after release of water into Chapora from the Tillari reservoir following heavy rainfall. This had led the water levels to rise in the river, breaching the banks. The possibility of such a situation recurring will be completely resolved once the barrage on the Chapora is ready.The water from the Sal project will also help meet the drinking water requirements especially during the winter months when annual maintenance of the Tillari reservoir canals is taken up and raw water supply to Goa is stopped.Until the project was taken up, there was only a minor bandhara over Chapora at Bicholim.Water from the project will also support irrigation along the way. It will cover more than 20km on the route to the water treatment plants concerned.For most part of the year, raw water requirement of the Assonora treatment plant is met through supply from the Tillari reservoir.The additional water from the new barrage will help end shortages in Calangute and Guirim.
