JOAO SOUSA M| NT
Principal Correspondent
CURTORIM
As the mercury continues to soar, four of the six lakes at Cutorim have dried up threatening livestock and farming in the village.
Except for Ralloi Tollem and Sonbem Tollem at Maina-Curtorim which was de-silted last year, the Angdi Tollem, Mai Tollem, Colomba/Kum Tollem and Gud Tollem have all dried up.
The waterbodies play a key role in raising paddy saplings and are a perennial source for livestock for wallowing.
They are also a host to hundreds of migratory birds.
Speaking to ‘The Navhind Times’, chairman of the Curtorim biodiversity cell Santano Rodrigues said the waterbodies have dried up this year, which is an unusual phenomenon for the Salcete village.
He opined that waterbodies must have dried up due to the deficient rainfall in the last monsoon.
The situation looks very grim as the meteorological department has predicted that there could be delay in monsoon arrival by seven days.
Livestock have always used the lakes to wallow beating the sweltering heat. Local farmers have complained that keeping the cattle cool from the heat has been a challenge now. The lakes have been frequented by various kinds of birds. Water levels of these lakes started receding as early as January leaving the farmers who raise winter crops high and dry.
Rodrigues said that nearly 150 hectares of land is cultivated by using water from the six lakes. He said the Angdi Tollem is the only lake which has been “artificially” dried up as the work of de-silting is going on.
The saving grace has been the Maina lake, which was de-silted last year, and as a result the lake has been able to retain water capacity despite the sweltering summer.
Gromiko Fernandes, a member of the Cutorim biodiversity cell, said the Mai Tollem is used as a nursery to germinate the paddy seedlings and upon arrival of the monsoon the seedlings are ready for transplantation.
He said that this year due to the lake completely drying up, farmers have been unable to make preparations for raising saplings, adding that there has been no sufficient water to irrigate winter crops.