MAPUSA
The State government has invited bids for the construction of 30 MLD raw water pumping station at Calangute kicking off the process to set up a 15 MLD water filtration plant at the Pilerne-Saligao plateau to resolve the water woes of Calangute and Saligao constituencies.
The Water Resources Department (WRD) has initiated the tendering process for the construction of the pumping station at an estimated cost of Rs 16.89 crore.
The tender issued on June 29 called for bids from eligible contractors for the construction of 30 MLD raw water pumping stations on Tillari irrigation canal to supply water for the Pilerne Industrial Estate and the surrounding areas of Calangute and Saligao.
“We have set the ball rolling. But the process of selecting the agency to undertake the work will take at least another two to three months. The selected agency has been given a period of one year to complete the work,” a senior engineer at WRD informed The Goan.
Simultaneously, work to set up a 15 MLD water filtration plant will be taken up by the Public Water Department (water division).
The filtration plant will be set up on government land on the Pilerne-Saligao plateau which will take care of water requirements in Calangute and Saligao.
The coastal villages along the Calangute-Candolim belt have been facing water shortages for a very long time.
At the moment, Bardez has been getting water supply from the Assonora water treatment plant but residents living along the Calangute-Candolim belt get water at low pressure since these villages are at the tail-end.
Ports Minister Michael Lobo said that the Assonora water treatment plant was set up in the ‘70s and since then, there no efforts were made to augment the water supply in the taluka.
“The number of guesthouses, resorts and restaurants has increased manifold along the coastal belt. There is a huge disparity between the demand and supply of water requirements in Bardez. We have therefore taken steps to set up the water filtration plant in Pilerne to take care of water needs along the coast,” Lobo said.
He said after the construction of the water pumping station, work on the filtration plant will also be taken up in quick succession.
“After a period of the one-and-half year, Calangute-Candolim will get uninterrupted water supply. I will take review meetings after every 10 days so that work on the project is expedited,” he said.
