Team Goemkarponn
CANACONA: Social worker and youth leader Shubham Komarpant has urged the Water Resources Department (WRD) to undertake dredging of Chapoli Dam to increase its storage capacity and help Canacona tackle water scarcity in the event of deficient rainfall in the future.
Komarpant on Tuesday submitted a memorandum to WRD Canacona Assistant Engineer Dayanand Nagvekar, urging the department to prepare and submit a proposal to the government for dredging the dam.
The proposal is aimed at increasing the reservoir’s storage capacity and strengthening Canacona’s water security, particularly during years of inadequate monsoon rainfall.
Nagvekar assured Komarpant that the department would initiate the process and take up the matter with the government with immediate effect.
Chapoli Dam is currently holding around 71 per cent of its reservoir capacity, with the water level recorded at around 35.29 metres RL (Reduced Level) on Tuesday evening. The cumulative rainfall recorded in the area stood at around 1,289.4 mm amid concerns over deficient seasonal rainfall.
Chapoli Dam has previously witnessed a slow rise in its water level during deficient monsoons. In 2015, following a highly deficient monsoon beginning in June, the dam took nearly four and a half months to reach its maximum level of 38.75 metres on September 16, with rainfall reaching around the 96-inch mark.
Often described as Canacona’s lifeline, Chapoli Dam has a catchment area of approximately 6.83 square kilometres. Its primary source of water is a natural stream or nallah originating in the Chapoli hills, along with rainwater flowing through the valley extending westward from the Western Ghats.
The 760-metre-long dam has a maximum height of 25.50 metres at its deepest point and a live storage capacity of 876.58 hectare-metres. Its full reservoir level is 38.25 metres, while spillage begins when the water level reaches 38.875 metres.
