Many areas in town either get no water or the pressure is very low; PWD officials release controlled water to tide over the problem
MAPUSA
After bad roads, residents of Mapusa are now grappling with problems of water scarcity.
For more than a fortnight now, many parts of Mapusa have been receiving restricted supply of water from the PWD pipeline.
In many areas, tap water lasts barely for half an hour as opposed to normal four to six hours of supply, while in some parts the flow pressure is so low that sumps do not get full.
Senior PWD officials have acknowledged problem of “reduced” water supply and hopes to resolve the issue by the end of this month. The officials also said that the problem has aggravated because water supply from Tillari dam has not been released yet.
The PWD office in Mapusa has been flooded with calls and complaints of poor or no water supply. Some locals have also confronted the PWD officials on the restricted supply from the government pipeline.
“Our water supply through PWD pipeline has been reduced to a trickle. Imagine our sump does not get full with the supply,” said Nilesh Raikar from Khorlim, who incidentally came to lodge a complaint in the department for not getting water for the last three days.
He further disclosed that migrants living in Fukat Nagar (Ganga-nagar, Khorlim) get continuous water supply.
Laura D’Sa, another local from Angod, informed that she had not received water from the pipeline for the last two days.
“Thankfully, we have a well and can manage. I can imagine of people who have water tanks which do not get full,” she said.
Sources in the Mapusa PWD (water department) said that the scarcity in water has affected entire Bardez, but the problem was very acute in Mapusa.
The source further said that the flow of water supply has been “very slow” for the last almost a month.
“The areas in Khorlim and Housing Board has been worst affected. We are trying our best in releasing controlled water supply,” the source disclosed.
Water supply from Tillari dam was stopped for the last two months for the annual post-monsoon maintenance work on the dam.
The water was supposed to be released from December 11 but due to an agitation by locals in the area, who were yet to be compensated over the Tillari project in Maharashtra, the authorities were not able to release water to Goa.
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PWD EE admits to problem, says situation has improved
MAPUSA: Admitting that the water problem was very acute for the last eight days, PWD Executive Engineer (water division) V M Chavan, however, said that the situation had improved a little in the last two days.
“We are trying to resolve the issue on war footing. Hopefully, proper water supply will be restored by December 30,” Chavan said.
Presently, water to Bardez is being supplied from the Amthane dam. Erratic power supply adds to the problem as water has to be pumped from the Assonora river.
