THE GOAN NETWOK
PANAJI
Residents of Odlem Bhat and Acsona in Benaulim village on Monday decided to present a memorandum to chief minister Dr Pramod Sawant regarding their water problem as the local MLA Churchill Alemao has neglected the problem for over a year now.
Around 50 villagers gathered at the Perodem ground with empty pots and buckets and broke the pots to protest government inaction.
A meeting of the villagers was then called by the Aam Aadmi Party which recalled that exactly a year back on 28th December 2019 the same issue was discussed at the same place.
AAP Benaulim leader Capt Venzy Viegas urged the villagers to remain united and laughed at the BJP’s Har Ghar Jal Yojana announced by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
“What is the point of having a pipeline if there is no water in the pipes at all,” he asked highlighting the problem faced by the people gathered there.
Newly-elected ZP member Hanzel Fernandes who is an engineer suggested that as an immediate measure, the authorities be asked to install valves at different places on the line providing water to the households from the main line.
“As this area is on a slope the water tends to rush to the last which is the lowest point first and hence it would be better if we have valves in between to stop the water from rushing down and release there only after the higher placed houses get water supply,” he suggested.
As the villagers were demanding that an entire new pipeline be laid, it was decided to take up that issue too, and accordingly on 5th January 2021, a letter addressed to the PWD will be submitted with copies marked to the CM and local MLA.
The villagers demanded that the water problem be resolved before Easter and said they cannot wait for another Christmas where they have to prepare their Christmas sweets with bottled water.
Luiza Ferrao, a local said they are forced to use water from the wells which is tiresome. Others alleged that water meant for the villagers is diverted to starred hotels.
The villagers rejected the authorities’ suggestion that they erect an overhead water storage tank and asked the government to construct a tank to store water for the villagers instead just like the one being constructed in neighbouring Varca.
