MAPUSA
With the PWD failing to restore regular water supply in Mapusa for the third consecutive day, till late Thursday evening, the focus is on the government’s assurance to augment the water supply at the Assonora water treatment plant and create a backup system in cases of emergencies.
Although it’s the first incident of people having to go without water for three consecutive days this year, experience indicates that Mapusa and surrounding areas in Bardez have had to face irregular supply on several occasions.
While the number of high-rise constructions, hotels and individual housing units is increasing in leaps and bounds, the infrastructure to supply water to a growing number of consumers has remained static.
For more than a decade, the government has failed to expand the infra at the Assonora water treatment plant which looks after the water supply to seven constituencies in Bardez including the highly concentrated Calangute-Candolim-Anjuna coastal belt.
There are three treatment plants in Assonora each with a capacity of 12, 30 and 50 MLD.
Incidentally, the 50 MLD plant was commissioned way back in 2012.
Obviously, with the rise in construction, the water demand has increased but the basic infra to supply water has not kept pace with the requirement.
The sudden mechanical breakdowns and power-related issues at the water treatment plant compound the problem further.
Executive Engineer, PWD (water), Shambu Malvankar informed that the department was forced to shut down the plant for maintenance but such incidents were rare.
“We have to take a shutdown of the plants while carrying out maintenance work. These incidents don’t happen regularly but once in a way,” Malvankar said.
But records of shutdowns over the years portray a different story.
Last year, the people of Bardez had to suffer without water on four different occasions for a period of a minimum of three days to a maximum of 10 days.
