By IANS,
Panaji : As many as 19 mines are located within half a kilometre of the Selaulim major reservoir, which accounts for water supply to nearly half of Goa, Chief Minister Digambar Kamat told the state assembly Tuesday.
Seventeen of the mines are located within 200 metres of the reservoir, Kamat said in response to a query from Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) legislator Vasudev Gaonkar.
Kamat said nine out of the 19 mines do not even have the requisite environmental clearances, which are mandatory for operation of mines.
The Selaulim dam and reservoir, which has a storage capacity of 234 million cubic metres approximately, is Goa’s largest dam and provides potable water supply to the entire population of south Goa – approximately seven lakh – and some other parts of north Goa.
In reply to another query, Kamat, who is also the state’s minister for mines, said: “There has been no study conducted to verify the impact of the mining on the quality of water and also its impact on (the state’s) aquifers.”