the goan I network
MAPUSA
Taps went dry since Tuesday evening posing an unprecedented water crisis in entire Bardez and parts of Pernem and Bicholim even as PWD engineers remained clueless after a water resources pipeline supplying raw water from Amtanem dam to Assonora water treatment plant breached.
However, late Wednesday evening, the pipeline was reportedly repaired and water from Amtanem dam was released to the treatment plant.
The breach in the WRD pipeline came soon after part of the Tillari canal ruptured on the Maharashtra side on Monday morning. On account of the canal rupture, water supply from Tillari was stopped to the Assonora plant.
Anxious residents made frantic calls to the department and local politicians, as information began to trickle in about the pipeline rupture and slim hopes of receiving water for the next two days.
Private water tankers were in demand as locals and building societies in particular began to make frantic calls for supply of water through tankers.
“For the last two days I have not received a drop of water. I have two tanks and somehow by limiting usage, I am trying to manage,” said Adv Satish Rao from Ansabhat, Mapusa.
“It appears that there is no rule of law and there is no administration in the State. How can people stay without water supply for more than 24 hours?” he asked.
Sachin Palni of Tivim said that he had to make a number of calls to convince a private water tanker to supply water to his residence.
“For the past several days we were getting water at a low pressure but on Tuesday evening the taps went completely dry. My hopes were dashed when a PWD official informed that there was no hope of restoring supply for the next two days at the very least,” Palni said.
Assistant Engineer, Subhash Belgaonkar, Mapusa PWD said all overhead tanks were dry and there was nothing that he could do.
A source at Assonora water treatment plant informed that they could produce just 45 mld of water per day for the last two days when the total water required was around 120 mld.
Late evening, information trickled in that the WRD pipeline was restored and that officials were trying to cautiously release raw water from Amtanem dam to the treatment plant.
“The pipeline has been restored at around 5.45 pm and we are getting water in the aerator at the Assonora water treatment plant. We have asked them to release water slowly and after six hours they will increase the flow of water and then our treatment will start,” said Gurunath Naik Parrikar, Chief Engineer, PWD.
“Tomorrow morning we will be able to give regular supply,” he added.
The PWD chief engineer also informed that supply of water from Amtanem dam was just a stop gap arrangement but full supply can be restored only after the treatment plant gets water from Tillari.
Pipeline repaired, normalcy will return, says Dhavalikar
MAPUSA: Stating that supply to Bardez and other parts of North Goa had to be curtailed due to breach in WRD pipeline, PWD Minister Sudin Dhavlikar said the pipeline was repaired and supply was expected to be restored soon.
“The repair of the broken WRD pipeline has been completed. Now, water is available at our plant but we required one day to repair the pipeline and that is why there was shortage of water,” Dhavlikar said.
He also disclosed that a meeting was held with PWD engineers at the Secretariat on Wednesday noon and all modalities of ensuring proper supply have been worked upon.
The PWD minister also hinted that entry of tourists has put additional demand on supply of water.
“We have received tourists double the number of our population in Goa. So everyone is affected...,” he said.
