The State of Goa which is currently on the fast lane to development is facing a water crisis. Large areas are currently reeling under water scarcity including coastal Bardez, Vagator, Siolim, Mapusa, Porvorim, Panaji, Sattari, Cortalim, Quelossim with people crying hoarse over not getting their basic requirement of water. Chief Minister Pramod Sawant, however, has unveiled an innovative idea to tide over the crisis by using the abandoned mining pits to store and process water. The question is what exactly this plan is and whether this could bring relief to a State which is grappling with a 76 MLD shortage of potable water per day? Or is the government only concealing its helplessness by issuing random deadlines from time to time?
If we may recall, water shortages in Goa are historic and date back to the pre-Liberation era. Successive governments have paid lip service to this major State issue with patchy handling coupled with a series of failed deadlines and false assurances. The latest was in December 2020 when the CM promised to resolve water issues by January 15 citing a mismatch in rationing of water. He questioned the projected 6.7 per cent commercial use of water and even threatened to take action against those engineers responsible for manipulating data. The plan then was to kick-start 19 pumping stations, purification plants and rural schemes to meet the water shortfall. Nearly two months later, nothing has materialised and locals are left with no option but to continue pleading for water. None of the rural schemes that the CM spoke has seen the light, nor has the constituency-wise water plan. We are in February, and we have yet another novel idea of utilizing the mining pits.
The BJP-led government has gone gaga over the Centre's Rs 300 crore grant towards the celebration of Goa's 60th year of liberation. The dire need of the hour is to liberate people from their basic problems of day-to-day living. There's no point in speaking about large-scale development and constructive planning when basics like water, electricity and roads are lacking. If the government is steadfast in its plan of a new power transmission line taking into consideration the electricity shortfall by 2025 and other contingencies, why is there no such serious plan for augmentation of water?
Working out temporary solutions like delivering piped supply on alternative days and pressing tankers into service will not help the cause given the gravity of the situation. It's a shame that the Goa government announced itself as the first State to achieve hundred per cent tap water connectivity in October 2020 when taps were consistently running dry. Against the backdrop of achieving 'Har Ghar Jal', it is embarrassing to find Goa making national headlines of people protesting and fighting for their daily water, gheraoing PWD officials and engineers and pleading for water.
It's time the Chief Minister and PWD Minister Deepak Pauskar become more realistic in dealing with Goa's perennial water problems and provide long-term solutions on an urgent basis before another scorching summer takes over.
