Suraj P KaisuvkerPonda: After two days of relentless rain, the Opa weir has started overflowing, with the Khandepar river level at the Opa barrage crossing 5.4m on Friday.To prevent flooding along the riverbank in Opa ward of Khandepar village, the WRD opened all four gates of the barrage at the Opa water works to release excess water. Assistant engineer Sunil Shet said rainfall in the river’s catchment and tributaries pushed levels up, and the gates were opened in anticipation of a further rise overnight.Heavy rain has also sharply increased raw-water turbidity in the Khandepar, with Opa water works recording 157 NTU on Friday. Turbidity measures cloudiness; up to 50 NTU is considered normal. Shet said the spike is common during heavy rain, as silt from riverbanks and catchment areas washes into the river, and that the water remains safe because it is supplied only after full filtration and treatment.Raw water is first drawn into a receiving chamber, then routed to sedimentation tanks for silt settling, followed by sand filtration, chlorination, and storage in the main balancing reservoir before distribution.High turbidity, however, increases operating costs as treated water is used to clean clogged filters, which can become non-functional quickly due to dense sediments. On Friday, the 8MLD plant was shut, and six filters were cleaned — three in the 54MLD plant, two in the 40MLD plant, and one in the 27MLD plant, officials said.The Opa Water Works has five water treatment plants — 8, 12, 27, 40, and 54 MLD — located at Opa ward in Khandepar village, Ponda taluka. It supplies potable water to more than 95% of Ponda and Tiswadi, including Panaji, parts of Priol, and parts of Dharbandora. Officials said the facility draws about 160 MLD daily and supplies around 152 MLD.12, 40, 54 and 27 MLD at Opa ward at Khandepar village of Ponda taluka.The facility supplies potable water to over 95% of Ponda and Tiswadi talukas. This includes Panaji, parts of Priol in Ponda taluka, and parts of Dharbandora taluka.With five WTPs, the Opa Water Works draw 160MLD of water daily and supply about 152MLD of water, said the officer of the department of drinking water.
