MAPUSA
As temperatures soar and the scorching heat bears down, residents of Mapusa and the coastal belt areas find themselves grappling with a mounting water crisis.
Complaints of scarcity and erratic supply have begun inundating authorities, highlighting the severity of the situation exacerbated by the dwindling water levels in various dams across the region.
In Bardez, particularly along the coastal stretches of Anjuna and Vagator, residents endure the brunt of irregular water supply, exacerbating their daily struggles.
Notably, the issue of water scarcity in this region persists year-round, intensifying during the blistering summer months.
A resident of Anjuna, Ramesh Naik lamented, "We face the problem of water shortage year-round, worsening during summers. Dependence on water tankers becomes inevitable as PWD officials seem helpless in resolving the issue."
PWD officials disclosed that while the Anjuna-Vagator area requires approximately 5 million litres per day (MLD) of water, the department can only supply around 3 MLD, leaving a significant deficit.
The new hotels and villas coming up in the area only compounds the already delicate issue.
Locals have voiced concerns in gram sabhas, urging restrictions on mega projects to mitigate strain on water resources, yet their appeals seem to fall on deaf ears amid the continuous emergence of hotels and new structures in the village.
Chapora locals echoed similar sentiments, revealing a distressing cycle of water supply limited to two days followed by a drought of four days, further exacerbating their plight.
Ravi Harmalkar from Vagator emphasised governmental negligence, citing contamination of village wells due to seepage from septic tanks and the stagnant upgrade of the Assonora water treatment plant for over three decades.
In Mapusa, residents face a similar predicament of irregular water supply, amplifying grievances amidst the ongoing underground power cabling work that frequently damages pipelines.
While PWD officials attribute the disruptions to localised issues rather than a shortage of water, residents like Temizia Barganza and Clement D'Cunha from St Jerome Apartment and Angod, respectively, continue to grapple with inadequate supply despite lodging complaints.
Assistant Engineer of PWD (water), Truptesh Sirsat acknowledged the pipeline damages caused by ongoing cabling work and assured efforts to address the sporadic complaints.
However, with no respite from the relentless heat wave in sight, the water shortage predicament looms large, threatening to disrupt normalcy for the next 45 days.
