Panaji: An additional 150MLD of water will be pumped from the new Amthane pumping station from Oct 1, boosting supply to Bardez taluka, including Porvorim and Pilerne, water resources minister Subhash Shirodkar said.Reviewing the pumping station and the newly laid pipeline at Amthane, Shirodkar said the facility has been established to pump 150MLD of raw water to the Assonora water treatment plant and meet the requirements of Porvorim and Pilerne.“The establishment of this pumping station is aimed at ensuring an uninterrupted and reliable water supply to North Goa,” he said.A new 15MLD water treatment plant at Pilerne is nearing completion, while the 15MLD plant at Porvorim also receives water from Assonora.Once pumping from Amthane begins, supply from the Tillari project is planned to be stopped for three months to facilitate repairs to its canals.Shirodkar also reviewed the progress of the Sal barrage project on the Chapora river at Sal in Bicholim taluka. Being constructed at a cost of around Rs 300 crore, the project has been under construction for nearly three years and is now nearing completion.The barrage will have a discharge capacity of 250MLD and make an additional 250MLD of raw water available to treatment plants supplying Bardez. It will also have a storage capacity of approximately 50 lakh cubic metres.“Once completed, it will have a storage capacity of approximately 50 lakh cubic metres of water. The project is expected to play an important role in strengthening water security and ensuring a dependable supply of water, particularly during periods of increased demand,” Shirodkar said.The barrage is also expected to prevent flooding when the Chapora breaches its banks during the monsoon. In July 2021, Sal witnessed severe flooding after water released from the Tillari reservoir following heavy rainfall raised the river level and caused it to breach its banks.The barrage will regulate and tap the river water, which will primarily meet drinking water needs while also supporting irrigation. The water will travel more than 20km to the treatment plants.For most of the year, the Assonora treatment plant depends on water supplied from the Tillari reservoir. The additional water from the Sal barrage is expected to help address shortages in areas such as Calangute and Guirim.
