Goa

This document provides the details of the Rainwater Harvesting policy for the State of Goa and is aimed at providing guidance to all the concerned departments for the implementation of the policy in the state and information to the public.

The study by National Institute of Hydrology attempts to model seawater intrusion using FEFLOW, an interactive finite element simulation system in the coastal area of Bardez taluka in North Goa and evaluate the impact of increasing groundwater development on the phenomenon. Coastal tracts of Goa are rapidly being transformed into settlement areas and the poor water supply facilities have encouraged people to develop their own sources of water by digging or boring wells.

Goa is the second smallest state in India, with a total land mass of 3702 sq kms, and is one of the world's 12 bio-diversity hot-spots. While the largest industry is Tourism, conversely the second largest is mining. 8% of this state’s land is already under mining, mostly for iron ore, which is largely exported to China.

Author: Hartman de Souza Art: Jessica Schnabel Content Courtesy: Himal Southasian

Where there is water, there is probably ore beneath.

Having trekked several times to Paikdev’s spring to gulp water pouring out of the moss-covered iron mouth, one would think the mysteries of the journey would fade. But, if anything, they have become more poignant – sitting here at this shrine to the snake deity of the Velip community in the village of Maina, in Goa’s Quepem District. It is here, amidst thousands of hectares of rolling forests, in the foothills of the Western Ghats, home to countless perennial springs and streams, wildlife and more, that a strange conglomeration of mining companies, politicians and real-estate developers are sharpening their collective sword. These activities were already afoot a year ago, with mining operations systematically destroying forests, because, as the government in Panjim stated at the time, the iron ore was needed by New Delhi to keep its nine-percent growth rate on track. This year, the message is no different.

The various initiatives taken up include watershed development work with the local community, repairing traditional water structures such as bandharas, installing water meters, automating saline water pump, harvesting rain water from the coke shed roof, waste water recycling and more.

The map shows that Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Karnataka, Goa, Maharashtra and Gujarat are high salinity zones, and Andhra Pradesh, Orissa and West Bengal are moderate salinity zones.

Click here to view the map - IRFC

This papers models the saline water intrusion in the Bardez taluk of Goa.

The study is replete with hydrogeological maps and data. These include topographic contours, soil, landuse, rainfall, geology, location of observation wells etc.

The Bhageerath Awards were given at the AQUA 2009 conference July 4-5 2009, to recognise excellence in the fields of water and wastewater management (see here for details about the conference). This year's Bhageerath was Sterlite Industries

Having regard to the potential of availability of groundwater and other relevant factors, the government, in consultation with the cell, may declare, by notification, any area in the state as a scheduled area.