Calangute: The water resources department (WRD) has desilted the Savlem lake in Pilerne, Saligao MLA Kedar Naik said. The lake was notified as Goa’s seventh wetland in 2021 under the Centre’s Wetlands (Conservation and Management) Rules, 2017.Naik, who is also Goa Tourism Development Corporation (GTDC) chaairperson, announced the desilting work in May. The lake had become heavily silted and overgrown with weeds.“Beautification of the lake will be done after this by the GTDC, similar to Mayem lake. If the lake is beautified it can become a tourist spot in Bardez,” he said.Savlem lake was declared a wetland because of its ecological significance, ecosystem services and biodiversity value to local communities. Spread over 46,010sqm, it is the source of the Nerul river.Previous efforts to develop Savlem as a tourist attraction have failed. Former tourism minister and then Saligao MLA Dilip Parulekar had built a birdwatching deck and changing rooms at the site, but the facilities remain unused.Locals said plans to develop the lake have stalled due to a lack of space for parking and other visitor amenities.
