Stop the blame game over water, it’s a clear indication that government mechanism has failed completely. A lack of preparedness for emergencies lay exposed. Damage to two pipelines at distant Curti-Khandepar was enough to cripple life in the capital city for five days, and we are still counting. The water crisis has made a mockery of Panaji’s smart city plan. The new ODP has high-rise buildings on the anvil, but has it factored water emergencies? While the government boasts about development and technological upgrades in other spheres, there has been no alternate plan in place as Panaji continues to rely on this lone water supply source.
It’s a shame that the leadership has failed in putting a plan in place, and rather settled for a blame game. The wait for water is getting agonizingly longer. At a time when the CM and the PWD minister should be leading from the front and working out ways to bring respite to those affected, there are political scores being settled. Sawant’s veiled reference to former PWD Minister Sudin Dhavalikar that the work of replacing pipes should have been done much earlier makes no sense. And Pauskar squarely blaming PWD engineers claiming they were aware that pipes had developed cracks, smacks of immaturity.
Birds of a feather flock together, so goes the old adage. Dhavalikar has been in the BJP-led coalition during Manohar Parrikar’s regime and briefly in Sawant’s team. He consistently held the PWD portfolio, but not a word was spoken about his shortcomings. It is vengeful to target former ministers in such times, given the fact that BJP handpicks MLAs for ministerial position to satisfy political agendas, and overlooks all other criteria.
It’s been five days since Tiswadi and parts of Ponda have gone without water. The chief minister should have understood the gravity of the situation and summoned an emergency meeting involving PWD officials, engineers and CCP corporators, and drawn up a schedule. It’s a pitiful sight to see citizens labour through the day and even late in the night to get their daily requirement of water. The ground situation continues to remain grim and the tanker supply is not enough to meet the demand. The government should feel the pulse of the people, this is what Goemkarponn is all about.
Two talukas having their fill of water from a single source is bound to have consequences whenever there are pipeline issues. Government must contemplate alternate plans of diversion so that people are not affected for an extended period of time. Normal life has been crippled without water for five days, but amid panic, there is tremendous resilience shown by the affected people. There have been several who have reached out to help. There are others who have worked tirelessly day and night to ease the pain of Ponjekars. And there are men on the ground working overtime in fixing the pipeline at Curti. Amid failure of leaders, there are people who have shown bravado and stood tall in this period of adversity.
