Rupesh Samant

Daijiworld Media Network - Panaji

Panaji, Dec 6: Goa Forward Party Chief and Agriculture Minister Vijai Sardesai has intervened to address the woes of farmers in the mining belt, who are worried about rivulets running dry, as the water from mining pits has not been pumped out.

Sardesai has called for a high Level meeting on December 12 at secretariat to discuss the problem, which will be attended by ministers, state chief secretary, district collectors and various MLAs to discuss the issue of allowing pumping of water from mining pits and to make available water for irrigation purpose for the farmers.

The rainwater has got accumulated in the mining pits, many of whom are below the water table of rivulets in the mining belt in Sattari taluk in North Goa.

There is urgent need to pump out the water so that the rivulets have a normal flow, allowing the irrigation of the farms in the mining belt.

State’s one of the tourist attraction, Haravalem Waterfall, which is a part of the rivulets that criss-crosses in mining belt, has been running dry since last two years, since the closure of mining activity.

The high level meeting called by Sardesai will also be attended by Speaker of Legislative Assembly Pramod Sawant, who represents Sankhalim Assembly Constituency, which is predominantly a mining belt, State Water Resources Department Minister Vinod Palyekar, State Health Minister Vishwajit Rane, State Power Minister Nilesh Cabral, Chief Secretary Dharmendra Sharma and other officials and MLAs from the mining belt.