Locals forced to depend on distant wells, neighbours
DELAYED RELIEF: A water tanker dispatched by the PWD reaches the parched Xelpem area of Mapusa late Wednesday evening following residents’ complaints.
MAPUSA
As soaring temperatures and declining reservoir levels tighten water availability across the State, an urban pocket of Mapusa has been left grappling with a prolonged drinking water crisis, exposing cracks in the supply system at a critical time.
Around 30 households in Xelpem have reportedly gone without piped drinking water for more than a week, forcing residents to depend on distant wells and goodwill from neighbours to meet basic needs.
With the summer heat at its peak and water levels in key dams already under pressure, the disruption has added to the hardship of residents who say they have been “left to fend for themselves” despite repeated complaints to the authorities.
“We are living in an urban area, not a remote village, yet we have not received a drop of water for eight days. In this heat, even a few hours without water is difficult,” said Manjula Sawant, an affected resident of Xelpem.
With no tanker supply arranged and no immediate intervention from the department, families have been manually fetching water from wells located at a distance from their homes. Residents say the process is physically exhausting and unsustainable.
“Carrying buckets in this heat multiple times a day is not easy, especially for the elderly and women. We are relying on neighbours for access to wells, but this cannot go on indefinitely,” said Suman Kambli, another local from the area.
Locals have also alleged apathy on the part of officials. According to residents, attempts to lodge complaints have yielded little response, with some claiming that responsible officers were unavailable when approached.
“We went to the office on Wednesday, but the doors of the junior engineer and assistant engineer were shut. No one is taking accountability,” alleged Shitesh More, a resident of Xelpem, Mapusa.
He said repeated follow-ups have only led to “excuses instead of solutions.”
When contacted, PWD Junior Engineer Prajyot Naik stated that a fault in the pipeline had been addressed and that supply was restored late Tuesday evening. However, residents have strongly disputed this claim.
“This is simply not true. There is still no water in our taps,” More countered, adding that such statements only deepen public frustration.
Surprisingly, late on Wednesday evening, the PWD dispatched a water tanker to the affected locality, offering some relief to residents facing the shortage.
Residents say the episode highlights not just a technical failure but a systemic issue of delayed response and lack of communication from authorities.
“In a time when the heat is unbearable, the least we expect is timely action and honest updates. Instead, we are being ignored,” said Nila Gurav, another resident.
Locals are demanding urgent intervention from higher authorities to restore pipeline supply at the earliest.
