PANAJI: Residents of Mainwada in Korgao have alleged that they have been receiving salty and foul-tasting drinking water for nearly a year, claiming it has affected the health of around 15 households. They have warned of a protest if the issue is not resolved immediately.
On Thursday, villagers collectively raised concerns over the prolonged supply of contaminated water, suspecting that the problem is due to a leakage in the Mansi water pipeline. "It has been a year since we started receiving salty water. We repeatedly raised the issue with the PWD authorities, but no action has been taken so far," a resident said.
Residents claimed the poor-quality water has led to several health complaints, including sore throats, stomach aches and swollen legs. "Our throats have begun to ache, our legs have swollen and many of us suffer from stomach pain. Our children refuse to drink the water and go to school carrying empty bottles because they cannot drink it anymore. Even food cooked with this water tastes bad and cannot be swallowed," alleged resident Rajashree Salgaonkar.
The villagers have urged the Public Works Department (PWD) to immediately inspect the pipeline, identify the source of contamination and conduct water quality tests.
Apart from the water quality issue, residents also complained of irregular billing, alleging that water meter readings are taken only once every four months, resulting in inflated bills.
Women from the locality warned that they would stage a protest outside the PWD office in Pernem if the issues are not resolved within a week.
