Photo caption.
A dried up well at DemaniÂ-Cuncolim. Angry residents assess the water situation at the Nayea bandh with ward councillor Angela Luis. Santosh Mirajkar
MARGAO
Blame it on the failure of the authorities to build the bhandaras on time, drinking water wells in the Demani locality of Cuncolim have all dried up, forcing the water-hit residents to take to the streets on Friday.
With no water in the wells, hapless residents have knocked the doors of their neighbours for tap water, even as the Cuncolim Municipal Council has promised to take up the serious issue with the officials of the Water Resource Department for taking up the work on the bhandara on topmost priority.
Locals have attributed the situation to the failure by the government authorities to build the bhandaras on the rivulet “ right from Nayea bandh and Pairiya bandh, adversely affecting the water table in the wells dotting across the locality.
A local resident Devidas Chari told The Goan that almost all the drinking wells in Demani locality have dried up for almost a month now. Chari attributed two reasons for the unusual phenomenon. One, the wells have dried up with the authorities failing to build the Pairiya bandh bhandara which would have helped to store the water and recharge the underground water table. Secondly, Chari said the authorities should investigate whether the RCC construction of the embankments of the rivulet has also affected the underground springs, affecting the water table. “We are facing this problem of wells turning dry only since last year. The Pairiya bandh bhandara should be immediately built to store water," he said, while warning of action by the affected residents.
Kishori Chari and Sheikh Noorjahan echoed similar sentiments. “We are facing a major water problem since the last one month, with the wells drying up in the locality. Women from the locality will have no option than to take a morcha in support of our demand," they said.
CMC viceÂ-chairperson Mario Moraes, who inspected the wells along with ward councillor Angela Luis and councillors Shashank Desai and Udesh Gaonkar, termed the situation as serious. He said the civic body has contacted the WRD officials to find out why the bhandaras have been left unattended till date. “I have received a reply from the WRD that they will soon carry out work on the bhandaras," Moraes said, while saying that the CMC is also planning to put in place an action plan to construct the two bhandaras at Pairiya bandh and Dandora if the authorities fail to act.
Apprehensions are raised in many quarters in Cuncolim that the underground water situation in the jurisdiction of Cuncolim Municipal Council and neighbouring areas of BandaÂ-Assolna will be severely affected unless the Water Resources Department and other government authorities step in quickly to build the bhandaras.
Besides drinking water wells, it is feared that the rich flora along the banks of the rivulet which empties at Canknamoddi, bordering Chinchinim village, will be hit in the event the underground water is not recharged with the construction of the traditional bhandaras.
Local residents pointed out that hundreds of coconut and other trees along the banks of the rivulet were affected around two years ago, when the authorities were caught napping in constructing the bhandaras.
