Tourism superhit: Anjunem dam’s aqueduct offers blockbuster vistas of nature

Keri: An infrastructure project often evokes drab images of a mound of mud and a heap of files, but the water resources department’s aqueduct at Anjunem dam offers tourists mountainous vistas and forested landscapes.The site has become a popular weekend destination, drawing tourists in droves.A quarter century ago, the WRD constructed the aqueduct over a valley, to send water through a covered channel from Anjunem dam for irrigation. A footbridge created over the channel links the temple of Sateri Kelbai to Ambedkar Nagar of Keri.The footbridge has three holes, the result of the openings’ metallic lids being stolen by miscreants.Despite these pitfalls, tourists throng the site in the monsoon, to delight in the panoramic views of the chains of mountains of the Western Ghats of Goa, such as Vagheri, Khaddo Dongar, and Bolericho Temb. The green blaze of forests and sacred groves of Keri is another highlight presented by the aqueduct’s vantage.Standing on the aqueduct, tourists are held in thrall by Kusado stream emerging from the foothills of Vagheri and eventually meeting Kalti nullah after coursing through horticultural plantations and floral wealth.

Suraj Malik, a wildlifer from Vante of Sattari, told TOI, “This aqueduct is a beautiful spot to enrich our knowledge of the floral and faunal diversity of Keri, but picnickers come in large numbers without maintaining decorum and discipline, creating chaos and dumping garbage.”Malik said, “Sometimes, they block the access of locals on the footbridge, driven by the craze of taking selfies and making reels for Instagram or YouTube.”