Need to make inventory of Goa water bodies: Minister

There is need to prepare an inventory of water bodies in Goa to ensure its availability in the future, state Water Resources Department Minister Filipe Neri Rodrigues told the Assembly on Friday.

He also informed the House that Goa had filed a Special Leave Petition in the Supreme Court on its dispute with neighbouring Karnataka over the sharing of Mahadayi River water.

It is listed for hearing in the apex court on August 5 and Goa would be represented by senior counsel Arvind Datar, he added.

"The demand for raw water in Goa is 1,200 million cubic litres and the same amount of it is available. This is a thing to worry when we think of water requirement over the next 50 years," he said.

He said stress of raw water availability increased in the April-May period and his department was proposing to provide permanent pumping units in abandoned mining pits in a phased manner.

Stating that Goa will have its own water policy, the minister said, "Inventory of all lakes and rivulets would be made.