Panaji, Oct 22 (IANS): Facing loss over corrosion of electrical conductors in the riverside villages due to salinity, the Goa government has sought assistance from the Central government for underground cabling.

State Power Minister Sudin Dhavalikar on Saturday said that a team of the Central government will visit the coastal state to study the issue.

He added that he brought this issue to the notice of Union Minister for Power and New and Renewable Energy, R.K. Singh during a two-day conference of power and renewable energy held recently at Udaipur in Rajasthan.

"I placed this (issue) in the conference, at that time the Minister assured me to send a team within one month to visit each and every place of the riverside villages. If this happens then 60 to 65 per cent area of Goa will come under underground cabling," Dhavalikar said.

"If you see our geographical topography then on one side we have Western ghats and on the other side we have Arabian sea along with Mandovi and Zuari river, because of salinity electrical conductors gets corroded," he added.

Environmentalists in Goa had expressed concern that diversion of Mhadei water in Karnataka will impact the salinity in the Mandovi estuary. Goa also has 103-km long coastline.

"We are facing the problem of corrosion of electrical conductors due to salinity. If the underground cabling is done then the government will save huge money spent on replacement of conductors," an engineer from Electricity Department said on condition of anonymity.