Shantinagar residents endure eight days without drinking water, rely on distant wells, bottled water
DRY STRUGGLE IN A WET SEASON: A resident of Shantinagar, Mapusa, carries a Bisleri water container into his home – an everyday struggle for drinking water in an area that has gone several days without PWD supply.
MAPUSA
While floodwaters gushed through the streets of Mapusa last week, inundating homes and choking drains in the pre-monsoon deluge, a cruel irony unfolded quietly in a small, hilly neighbourhood of Shantinagar in Khorlim.
Nearly 20 households perched above the waterlogged town were bone dry – cut off from the most basic necessity of life: drinking water.
For eight long days, the residents of this overlooked pocket of Mapusa have survived without a drop from their PWD pipeline.
Instead, they’ve been filling buckets with rainwater just to wash utensils, buying bottled water for drinking or walking long distances to fetch water from a distant well.
For many, especially the elderly and disabled, the daily struggle for water has become unbearable.
“We’ve had to spend money on Bisleri bottles just to drink,” said Suresh Naik, a 72-year-old resident who not only has to manage his own health but also care for his handicapped son.
“Rainwater is fine for cleaning, but how long can we go on like this?” he added.
Naik’s story is echoed across the neighbourhood.
Sulochana Bagkar, another affected resident, recounted how residents have been calling Public Works Department (PWD) officials every day, only to receive the same response: “Tomorrow, the water will come.” But tomorrow has not come.
“Two officials came and inspected the area. They assured us water would be released. Now, even our councillor doesn’t answer our calls,” Bagkar said with visible frustration.
The area, residents say, sits on a slope, which they believe could be the reason water doesn't reach them – perhaps due to insufficient pressure. But in an age of advanced technology and urban infrastructure, that explanation feels hollow.
“We are in the main town of Mapusa – not some remote village. To think we can't get drinking water in 2025 is shocking,” said Sumati Naik, another resident.
Some residents, with means or connections, have rigged long pipes to fetch water from neighbours with better supply. Others rely on distant wells, their dignity slowly eroded by desperation. Water tankers can’t even reach the area due to the steep topography.
Relief, however, may be on the horizon.
Assistant Engineer at PWD (Water), Triptesh Sirsat confirmed that a pipeline blockage had been identified as the root cause.
“It was very difficult to locate,” Sirsat admitted. “But we’ve found it and our team is clearing it. Water should be restored by this evening,” he added.
It’s a hopeful update – but for the people of Shantinagar, it’s a bitter reminder of the eight dry days they’ve endured amid overflowing streets and government apathy.
In a state receiving abundant rainfall, it’s tragic that a small community in its heartland had to suffer so much for something so basic.
