MAPUSA
A major fault in a 1000 mm diameter water pipeline in Guirim left the coastal village of Anjuna without piped water for nearly five days, causing widespread inconvenience to residents and businesses in the popular beach destination.
The water shortage began earlier in the week, prompting residents to raise complaints with the Public Works Department (PWD) after receiving no supply for consecutive days.
Initial inspections by PWD engineers identified faults at Tivim and later near Mapusa, both of which were repaired promptly. However, these repairs failed to restore water to Anjuna.
PWD officials finally traced the root cause of the disruption on Sunday to a damaged section of the main pipeline running through a field in Guirim. The location of the fault made detection particularly challenging.
“It was difficult to detect the damage because the pipeline runs through a field close to a nullah. The water leaking from the pipe was draining directly into the nullah, making it hard to spot,” explained a senior PWD official.
Repair work was taken up immediately, with PWD staff working through Sunday and expecting to complete the job by late night or Monday morning.
Residents expressed frustration over the prolonged delay in identifying the problem.
“Our people have not received pipeline water for the last five days. We were given hope by the PWD in the last couple of days but it didn’t help. Finally, they located the fault and we hope the supply will be restored soon,” said Surendra Govekar, a member of the Anjuna panchayat.
The water crisis has highlighted issues of infrastructure monitoring and emergency response in the water supply system, especially ahead of the peak tourist season in coastal areas like Anjuna.
