Chief Minister Pramod Sawant on Thursday tweeted that all rural households in Goa now have access to potable water with the State government achieving a 100% target. The chief minister has appealed to families who have their independent source of potable water to come forward if PWD piped connections are required. This announcement would bring a sigh of relief to those who had no access to piped water supply and had to travel across villages to source water.
The Goa government has moved in line with Prime Minister's Jal Jeevan Mission under the motto of Har Ghar Jal which aims to provide drinking water to every rural household by 2024. Connecting households with taps is, however, a job half-done. What about the water supply? People in Salcete, Bardez, Mormugao continue to reel under frequent disruptions on account of pipeline breakages. Leave aside the promise of 24x7 water supply that has been made since the last decade, if the motto is to provide portable water consistently to every household, then there is a lot to be done.
Pipeline ruptures have become common phenomena in the past few years. Even the new portion of Selaulim by JICA has broken down nearly a dozen times in less than three years. Such pipeline ruptures result in substantial water wastages and leave thousands of people across talukas thirsting for water. Mormugao which is at the fag end of the Selaulim pipeline is the worst hit and the 1000 mm Verna-Vasco channel is unable to withstand pressures of the other portion of the Selaulim line. All hopes are now pinned on the assurance handed by PWD Minister Deepak Pauskar over the completion of JICA pipeline work in Mormugao by January next year.
Bardez taluka has been the worst hit, the recent pipeline damage at Colvale in September is testimony to the fact that proper planning has not gone into the water distribution network. The pumps in Assonora have a history of being blown out due to voltage fluctuations leaving many in Bardez without water. Scarcity of water has been the concern even in Porvorim. People recently protested laying of a parallel water pipeline from an overhead water tank to a slum at Halliwada.
While the State goes about fixing lines and connecting water to households, the government must also focus on water conservation mechanisms. This year Goa recorded its wettest monsoon for nearly 100 years with over 162 inches of rainfall. In this context, the government must take forward the masterplan for water conservation drafted last year. We have to adopt sustainable solutions with an emphasis on water conservation.
Har Ghar Jal cannot be a success story by only giving tap connections. The State government can pride itself when there are stable supply lines where citizens are provided water at least for a few hours in a day. Also, these tap connections don't come free, and while the ordinary citizen is struggling, he will have another bill to pay at the end of the month. There is nothing much to cheer for the common man yet.
