Water wastage sparks outrage

Water went waste at Colva and Mungul on Saturday as social activist Fidol Pereira cried foul over the wastage.

MARGAO
Water wastage at two locations along the Colva–Margao stretch on Saturday sparked strong reactions from civil society members and local residents, who raised concerns over both infrastructure lapses and the timing of the incidents.

The first case came to light near Mungul bridge, where a faulty pipeline reportedly led to water gushing into a low-lying area, flooding the surroundings. Shortly after, a similar incident was reported at Colva, where a valve malfunction caused a significant leak in a water pipeline, resulting in thousands of litres of water being wasted.

Local residents and activists were quick to respond. Social activist Fidol Pereira, along with other locals, highlighted the scale of the wastage and questioned the apparent lack of preventive maintenance. They pointed out that the incident at Mungul had not only wasted precious water but had also created waterlogging in the area.

Colva Sarpanch Tereza, who happened to be passing along the road, noticed the leakage and promptly alerted Benaulim MLA Venzy Viegas. Acting swiftly, the MLA contacted officials from the Public Works Department (PWD), who responded by addressing the fault at Colva and bringing the leakage under control within a short time.

However, even as repair work was underway in Colva, concerns escalated after reports emerged of a similar pipeline breach at Mungul. Pereira, who visited the site, expressed alarm at the cumulative loss of water from both locations.

“Just imagine how much water has been wasted at Mungul and Colva. At a time when residents in Salcete and other talukas are preparing for a scheduled power shutdown on Sunday—which will disrupt water supply—such incidents are unacceptable,” she said.

Residents and activists have called for a thorough inquiry into the causes of the pipeline failures and urged authorities to take preventive measures to avoid recurrence.