Arambol Dam

For many visitors, Arambol is a place of relaxation, fun, music, meditation and creativity. Part of the "magic" of this very special place is it`s natural beauty and biodiversity.

The biodiversity, climate and location, (between the Western ghats and the Arabian sea), has created an area of outstanding natural beauty.

The local authorities have been slow and innefficient in tackling some of the most important issues, and so it is very important for everyone, local people, Indian and foreign visitors alike to meet their individual responsibility to help protect the environment and natural beauty here.

Goa gets an average annual rainfall of approximately 2.5 metres, which is more than twice the national average. Unfortunately, 80% of this water runs straight into the Arabian sea. Hence, village wells regularly dry up before the dry season is over, leaving villages without water for washing, cooking, and more importantly fresh "contamination free" drinking water.

The Indian govenment response to this hugely important issue has been totally inadequate. In the 1970s a series of engineering projects ( including dams to regulate the flow of water from the Sahyadri range (Western ghats) to the coastal plain) have largely failed to bring the substantial benefits one would expect when considering the enormous sums of money spent on them.

A problem that has been exacerbated by the million or so visitors to Goa each year, is that of the ground water. Coastal resorts that have grown up from small fishing villages, have experienced contamination of ground water by sewage, which was traditionally dealt with by the local pigs, and where the water table has lowered sufficiently, wells have become polluted with salt water.