The Minister for Agriculture, Mr Dayanand Mandrekar disclosed that the government will take up desilting work of about 800 traditional ponds and lakes in Goa state. He informed that the disilting work of about 60 ponds and lakes have been already started through organisations of farmers known as Users Group. Mr Mandrekar was speaking after distributing the cheques for the first installment of estimated cost of the disilting work of lakes to the farmers groups at Assagao-Bardez, Van-Maulinguem in Bicholim and Valpoi yesterday. He said, the disilting of ponds and lakes will help to increase the ground water level and storage capacity of the existing ponds which can be used for cultivation of horticulture, vegetable crops in the entire year.