Selaulim Dam, situated in South Goa in Sanguem Taluka is one of the major tourist attractions of Goa. Every year hundreds of thousand local and well as foreign tourist visits this place. Locals do usually have day out picnic at this place on weekends and public holidays. Though the territory has restricted access but people are allowed to visit this place without the professional cameras and under tight security check. The overflowing dam is a major attraction which can be witnessed in rainy days only. Due to heavy rains for past three days the dam is overflowing and this phenomenon is likely to remain till the month of November depending on the flow of rain.
Selaulim is the only dam which is overflowing due to continuous rains while the level of other dams in Goa is still bellow the overflow level according to the sources from water resources department. The overflow at Selaulim is caused due to water level rose over 41.19m while in Anjunem dam (Sattari) water level rose to 79.31m and in Amthane dam (Bicholim) it was 47.86 on Friday. Sources also said that if level of water rise by another 2.2m then the Selaulim dam would fill to the brim while the Amthane dam never overflows as if water level rises to a certain level it flows into the canal which merges into Assonora River.
The capacity of the Selaulim dam FRL (full reservoir level) is 41.15m which has already crossed on Friday morning making the water flow 1 meter above the crest of the dam which is now going through the canals into Selaulim River that being used by the people for the irrigation purpose. The sources also informed that during the heavy rainfall though the water level goes above the head of the crest but it remains much below the head of the dam. Though if the water level reaches above the dam level then it’s the sign of danger but it is not possible at all.
Official sources informed that the unique “duckbill” spillway of the dam is designed to pass a maximum flood discharge of 1,450 cubic metres per second. “The flood discharge during the monsoonis way below that mark, a source said. 126 out of the total live storage of about 227 cubic metres is used for irrigation and the balance 101 is earmarked for domestic and industrial water use.
With the overflowing water offering a spectacular sight of the dam and its surroundings, tourists as well as locals are expected to flock to the dam in large numbers during the monsoon weekends. “We expect a footfall of 3,000 to 4,000 on Saturdays and Sundays,” said range forest officer N D Prabhudesssai, who oversees the management of the botanical garden cum eco-recreational park that is located right next to the dam. So if you are planning to spend this weekend please pack your bags and have a great weekend picnic at Selaulim but of course with caution.
Source: TNN
