Residential groups, Congress, NCP plan series of protests against the government on Wednesday
MAPUSA
Anger is brewing among the residents over irregular supply of drinking water in Mapusa and other parts of Bardez.
Despite a healthy monsoon, people of Mapusa are facing a water crisis of sorts even as officials on the quiet admit that supply has been affected.
Time and again locals have been complaining to the PWD officials but all they received were false promises while no action was taken to restore the supply.
Several residents also informed that some department engineers were arrogant and acted with a care a damn attitude when they went to complain.
More than a dozen councilors, whose term ended on November 4, have conceded that the water problem was grave in Mapusa and hoped the situation improved before the issue goes out of hand.
“People have been complaining about irregular supply for the last several days. What is even more worrying is that we cannot assure them when proper water supply will be restored. We are helpless,” said a councilor requesting anonymity.
While people living at a higher altitude in Mapsua have not received supply for the last three days others who have been receiving supply complained of very low pressure.
“We have been getting supply every alternate day and that too at a very low pressure. We have been suffering for the last 15 days,” said Feroze Khan, a resident of Duler.
Clement D’Cunha, a businessman from Angod echoed Khan’s sentiments.
“We have been facing water problem for the last several months in our locality. But it has aggravated in the last fortnight. We have not been receiving supply for the last several days and whenever we received, it was just a trickle,” D’Cunha said.
Angry residents seeking regular drinking water supply have planned to hold protests before the PWD office if the water supply does not improve.
“We have given the department eight days to restore proper water supply. If the condition does not improve at least 200 to 300 people will march to the Mapusa PWD office on Wednesday,” said a resident of Guddem, Siolim.
Sensing the pulse of the public sentiment, opposition political parties have also jumped in the fray and planned to hold protests against the PWD.
“The PWD is known for carrying out unplanned and haphazard works. There is no vision of how much water is needed for Mapusa and what will be its future requirement. To make matters worse the civic authorities and the TCP department sanction high-rise projects putting pressure on the infra,” said Vijay Bhike, North Goa Congress District President.
The Congress has given an ultimatum to the PWD to put their house in order by Tuesday (Dec 1) or else it will protest before the department’s Mapusa office the next day on Wednesday.
The NCP General Secretary Sanjay Barde has also threatened to block the Mapusa roads if regular water supply was not restored early next week.
“Some of the JEs in the PWD office in Mapusa are uncooperative and arrogant in their behaviour. Most of the water is first supplied to hoteliers and the balance released to the locals. This has to change,” Barde said.
Some days back, former Revenue Minister and Porvorim MLA Rohan Khaunte along with the residents led a protest before the Porvorim PWD office for lack of drinking water supply in the constituency.
MAPUSA: Admitting that irregular water supply was a cause of concern, Mapusa MLA, Joshua D’Souza said there was an issue with the Assonora water treatment plant.
He said several residents of Mapusa have been complaining of irregular drinking water supply for the last 14 days.
“They have some technical issues at the water treatment plant in Assonora. I will visit the plant to get first-hand information about the situation,” D’Souza said.
