Monsoon delay: Goa left with a month’s supply of drinking water

The Selaulim dam, which supplies water to the entire South Goa, Kushavati district and parts of North Goa, is 27% full, according to the state water department minister. File | Photo credit: Wikimedia Commons

Goa has drinking water reserves that can last for about one month, the government said, as the coastal state witnesses a lull in monsoon rainfall.

State Water Supply Department Minister Subhash Phal Desai told PTI on Thursday (Jun 18, 2026) that the water level in various reservoirs in the state has dropped drastically in the absence of rain.

“But there is no need to panic. There is enough water to meet the requirement for a month,” he said, adding that the state government will issue strict guidelines to ensure that the existing water is not exhausted before then.

He said various sections, including industry, have been calling him inquiring about the status of water supply in the state.

Phal Desai said his ministry would hold a meeting with Water Resources Minister Subhash Shirodkar to “evaluate the data of water available in various dams across the state”.

He said the state government had improved the water distribution system and ensured that there would be no shortage.

“There is no shortage right now, but that doesn’t mean it won’t happen in the future,” he warned.

The Selaulim dam, which supplies water to the entire South Goa, Kushavati district and parts of North Goa, is 27% full, according to the minister. It has a pumping capacity of 280 MLD (million liters per day).

He said the storage in Anjunem dam, located in North Goa’s Sattari taluka, has fallen to 9.9%. This project on the Goa-Karnataka border has a pumping capacity of 50 MLD which is being processed at plants set up at Padosh and Dattawadi.

Phal Desai said the water level in the Mhaisal Dam at Shiroda, near Ponda in North Goa, is 19%. The dam has a pumping capacity of 10 to 14 MLD.

Located in the southernmost taluka of Canacona, Chapoli Dam has enough water, Phal Desai said, adding that there will be no shortage of water in Canacona.

The Amthane reservoir, which supplies water to Bardez taluka in north Goa, also has “good” supplies, he said.

The India Meteorological Department has predicted that rain activities will resume in the state by next weekend.

Published – 19 June 2026 10:30 AM IST