MAPUSA
While the State government has proposed to take up augmentation of the water treatment plant at Assonora, there was no proposal to lay a dedicated water pipeline for the Mapusa constituency.
The Public Works Department (PWD) has also proposed to take up the construction of a ground-level reservoir on the Khorlim-Assagao border, near DMC college at an estimated cost of Rs 99.11 lakh.
“There is no proposal to lay a dedicated pipeline for Mapusa but the augmentation of Assonora water treatment plant is proposed to be taken up which is tendered and will be taken up shortly,” said PWD Minister Nilesh Cabral.
Mapusa town has been facing the problem of irregular water supply for the last several years. Even during the monsoon, the supply gets interrupted due to technical issues at the Assonora treatment plant.
According to the PWD (water division), the demand for water in Mapusa is 20 MLD but the town receives only 14 MLD, which is a shortfall of 6 MLD.
Further, pipeline water was being supplied for two to four hours daily to the residents of Mapusa.
The PWD has also informed that a ground-level reservoir (GLR) of 300 m3 capacity was proposed to be taken up near DMC college at an estimated cost of Rs 99.11 lakh.
“The tenders for the same are opened and processed for approvals. The period of execution is 360 days after the issue of the work order. The project is approved and taken up under the State funds,” the PWD minister said.
The residents of Assagao, Canca and Mapusa (near Ghateshwar temple) will stand to benefit after the construction of the reservoir.
Although the demand for water has gone up due to the rise in residential and commercial projects in Bardez for the last almost a decade, there has been no corresponding effort to augment the water supply at the Assonora plant.
Last month, several parts of Mapusa faced immense hardship after the water supply was interrupted for several days.
PWD officials attributed the problem to the rise in turbidity of raw water and some technical issues at the Assonora plant.
