NT Reporter
Panaji
The Special Task Committee on Salt Pans, recently elevated to a full-fledged Task Force with an expanded mandate, is in the final stages of drafting a Salt Pan Conservation Policy. The policy is currently under expert review and stakeholder consultations and will be submitted for government approval upon completion.
Initially formed in June 2023, the committee was reconstituted as a Task Force in May 2025. The Goa Cabinet had earlier approved the transfer of salt pan cultivation from the Directorate of Industries, Trade and Commerce (DITC) to the Goa State Biodiversity Board (GSBB) on February 6, 2025, paving the way for a more ecologically focused approach to salt pan revival.
The newly constituted nine-member Task Force, headed by the Minister for Environment and Climate Change Aleixo Sequeira, has been given a one-year term to steer scientific assessments, policy integration, and economic interventions to ensure the long-term sustainability of Goa’s salt pan ecosystems. Its mandate includes creating favourable conditions for the revival of salt pans and the traditional khazan ecosystems, along with promoting Goan salt under the state’s umbrella
label GoVan.
“We are currently engaged in preliminary consultations, survey work, and ground-truthing. We’re also seeking support from industry and academia. Initial discussions have been held with stakeholders to explore potential salt buyback schemes aimed at stabilising the market. Once refined, the draft policy will be circulated for inter-departmental comments before being placed before the government,” a senior GSBB official said.
Officials emphasised that the revival plan aims to balance ecological conservation with market-oriented branding to elevate Goan salt as a premium product. “Our vision is to ensure salt pans remain living, productive landscapes for generations to come,” another official added.
A state-wide survey of salt pans conducted by DITC in August 2024 revealed a total of 52 salt pans across four talukas. Of these, 20 are active, while 32—61.53%—are currently unused. Pernem has the highest number with 15 operational and one non-operational pan. Tiswadi has four operational and 25 non-operational, Bardez has one operational and one non-operational, and Salcete has five pans, all currently idle.
Ownership is divided between private, public, and community holdings, with most active pans under private ownership. Many inactive salt pans are in disrepair due to broken bunds, silted feeder channels, and damaged sluice gates, leading to disrupted hydrological functions.
To verify and strengthen its database, GSBB has launched field-level checks through local Biodiversity Management Committees (BMCs). In June 2025, the board requested the Land Survey Department to provide maps of both current and historically recognised salt pan areas based on archival records. The Water Resources Department was also approached for detailed technical layouts, including inlets, outlets, sluice gates, and bunds, to aid in r
estoration planning.
