Villagers accuse PWD of diverting water to hotels and villas as households struggle
Residents of Zor-vaddo in Chapora confront the PWD engineer on Friday over the ward’s prolonged water scarcity.
MAPUSA
The rains have been generous this year, filling up Goa’s reservoirs and rivers, but in Zor-vaddo, a ward of Chapora in Anjuna, residents still turn their taps only to find emptiness.
For years now, the families of Ward 5 under Anjuna panchayat have lived with a cruel routine – water flows for a day, then disappears for five. Those living on the ward’s higher ground say the little supply that does reach the area never makes it uphill.
On Friday, the affected residents once again marched to the Public Works Department (PWD) office, led by the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) to press for equitable water distribution. The ward has faced an erratic supply for several years, with locals claiming they sometimes receive water for just one day followed by five or more days of complete scarcity.
“They release water for one day and then nothing for the next five days. For the past week, we have not had a single drop even to drink. This has been our plight for years,” said resident Sukanti Naik.
The anger among villagers is compounded by allegations that while they struggle without access to drinking water, hotels and private villas along the coastal belt enjoy uninterrupted supplies. “Why should the locals suffer while water is diverted to outsiders? Even during festivals, we go without water,” said another resident, Raisa.
AAP’s Joint Secretary Pujan Malvankar, in a letter submitted to the PWD, blamed “gross mismanagement” and alleged that unauthorised oversized connections to commercial establishments have worsened the crisis, forcing villagers to depend on expensive water tankers. The party has demanded an inquiry into such connections and immediate restoration of adequate supply to households.
This is not the first time Zor-vaddo has raised its voice. In May and June, villagers had staged similar protests at the PWD office, only to be pacified with promises that never materialised.
“Every time we march, they assure us water will come, but the relief is temporary or never happens,” residents said, expressing frustration at what they described as a “decade-old problem.”
AAP has warned that if the situation is not resolved immediately, protests will be intensified.
The recurring water crisis in Zor-vaddo has now raised larger questions on whether the authorities are serious about addressing chronic shortages in local villages, even as coastal tourism continues to expand with hotels and villas consuming an increasing share of resources.
