It is only the start of the month of February, yet, several parts of Goa are reeling under severe scarcity of drinking water for days together. One wonders what will be the fate of the people in the coming months, especial in May and June, when our reservoirs start to empty out at a faster rate. In the past month or so, we have been crying hoarse over the Centre's approval of the Detailed Project Report (DPR) of the Karnataka govt, for diversion of the Mhadei river waters into the Malaprabha basin. The sad part of it is that the Goa govt and the PWD have failed miserably to save the lakhs of drinking water that are being lost in the state due to the leakages in the distribution system, pipe-bursts, pilferage, and illegal water connections. Instead, we continue to beat the drum in protest for the Mhadei diversion which is thought to have the potential of turning Goa into a parched land in the near future. While this may be true, let us also not neglect the present plight of the people, because of our woeful neglect.
