MAPUSA: A twofold blow at the Assonora WTP led to the present water crisis in Bardez and parts of Bicholim.
Inquiries revealed that delay in repairing a standby pump and absence of electrical-mechanical engineers brought operations at the 50 mld plant to a complete halt in Assonora on September 12.
There are 3 WTPs in Assonora, each with a capacity of 12 mld, 30 mld and 50 mld.
“The 50 mld plant has three pumps. While one was sent for repair, the other two which were functioning were suddenly simultaneously damaged due to some electrical fault on September 12,” Superintendent Engineer Ulhas Kerkar informed. An official at Assonora WTP informed that both pumps burned due to power fluctuation.
Sources informed that the standby pump was sent for repairs at least four months ago but no one bothered to keep a tab on it. It is also learnt that although there are 5 electrical-mechanical engineers to look after the other two plants, there are none at the 50 mld one.
“Though there are surplus electrical-mechanical engineers looking after the 12 mld and 30 mld plants, for some reason they have not been given charge of the 50 mld plant,” a source in the PWD informed.
The 50 mld plant was commissioned in 2012 on turnkey basis and the contractor was responsible to look after the plant for five years. “Although we did not have electrical-mechanical engineers to oversee the 50 plant, a civil engineer was looking after the pump,” a senior PWD engineer informed.
The standby pump which was sent to Bangalore for repairs is now expected to arrive in Goa by Friday. Of the two recently damaged pumps, one has been sent to Ahmedabad while the other to Bangalore.
In the meanwhile some agitated Mapusa residents numbering to around 25 gathered at the Mapusa PWD office at around 7.30 pm on Sunday.
They confronted the operator on duty and forced him to release the valve for water to flow in the pipeline.
The residents left the place after the operator convinced them that there was no water in the overhead tank.
