THE GOAN NETWORK
MAPUSA
At a time when Goa's reservoirs are witnessing a worrying decline in water levels and concerns over water security are mounting, the official website that provides real-time data on dam storage levels has mysteriously gone offline, raising questions about transparency and public access to crucial information.
For the past several days, the Water Resources Department's (WRD) online portal, which carries reservoir level data and is routinely accessed by journalists and citizens, has either failed to open or has been inaccessible for downloading information.
The disruption comes at a critical juncture when water storage levels in major dams have become a matter of public concern following a prolonged monsoon lull and reports highlighting dwindling reserves.
Repeated attempts by this reporter to access the website since last week were unsuccessful, effectively cutting off a key source of official information on the State's water situation.
When contacted, WRD Chief Engineer Dnyaneshwar Salelkar expressed surprise over the issue and said his department was not directly responsible for maintaining the website.
"None of my officials are in charge of the department's website. We are not aware that it is not functioning. I will look into the matter," Salelkar said.
The chief engineer's response has further highlighted the lack of clarity regarding accountability for a platform that serves as the primary public repository of dam-level data.
Sources in the government said management and maintenance of departmental websites are generally handled by the Information Technology Department, although it was not immediately clear whether the outage was due to a technical fault, maintenance work or any other reason.
The timing of the website becoming inaccessible has drawn attention because it coincides with increased public scrutiny of reservoir levels and reports documenting the steady depletion of water storage in major dams across the State.
