Margao: Days after the state govt began pumping water from the Kushavati river at Deumol in Quepem, villagers of Rivona have opposed the move. The recent gram sabha unanimously passed a resolution demanding that the water resources department (WRD) halt the exercise and shelve any expansion plans.The gram sabha noted that the WRD began lifting 40 MLD of water from the Kushavati river on July 24. The resolution described the river as the lifeline of Rivona and neighbouring villages and hamlets, stating that residents, particularly farmers, were heavily dependent on it.It said mining silt had reduced the riverbed’s depth, while the disappearance of natural reservoirs, or “koni”, along the watercourse over the years had significantly reduced the river’s flow. Bandhs and bandharas built by the WRD, the resolution said, kept the river alive through summer.The gram sabha warned that if the WRD continued lifting water during summer, the increased demand could lead to restrictions on upstream users. It noted that between the pumping point and Rivona and Colomba, around 150 to 175 water pumps are currently operational, apart from domestic consumption.The resolution said Sanguem taluka had already made sacrifices for the Selaulim dam and warned that tapping its last major river would further threaten agriculture in the region.Pandurang Patil, a progressive farmer who moved the resolution, said it was the villagers’ duty to protect the Kushavati. “The water pumped out from the river goes to industries and bungalows of the rich and the powerful, and to the swimming pools of hotels and housing complexes that have sprung up across the state. Why should we suffer for their comforts? Let them make their own arrangements for water,” Patil said.The pumping project was launched on July 25 by water resources minister Subhash Shirodkar as part of efforts to conserve storage at the Selaulim dam, which had earlier been releasing 70 MLD of water to Davorlim and the Verna Industrial Estate.
