The supply of water is sometimes for a couple of hours a day and then residents don’t receive water for weeks leaving them at the mercy of the tanker mafia which has a strong hold over the place. Andrea Fernandes takes a look at the issue that bedevils the place
Every Goan should receive potable water supply 24/7 with no differentiation between rural and urban area. Yet, the residents of Porvorim constituency have been victims to irregular and scarce water supply for the last several years. This area is being supplied water from the Assonora Water Treatment plant.
PWD officials informed that the water requirement for Porvorim constituency is 23 MLD water but is being supplied only 15 MLD on a given day. With a lot of new development and multi-storey complexes there is a requirement for more water in this area. There is a total of 18,000 water connections across the three panchayats the PWD, Porvorim Sub Division is catering to. To add to the problem there are several on-going residential and commercial projects in the area that will further suffer from water scarcity.
The PWD Executive Engineer, VM Chavan said the areas coming under PWD Porvorim sub division are parts of Calangute and Candolim, and the entire Porvorim constituency comprising of Socorro, Penha de Franca and Salvador do Mundo. Also Verem, Reis Magos and Nerul comes under this jurisdiction. “There is a gap between the water needed and the water received. Locals receive water every day for at least two hours. Some projects and complexes receive tanker water,” told Chavan.
According to the World Health Organistion (WHO) a minimum water supply of 200 litres per capita per day (lpcd) should be provided for domestic consumption in cities with full flushing systems. Residents of Porvorim lament they receive water for barely one or two hours a day which is not sufficient. While few pointed out that they receive water on every alternate day. The requirement for this area is 15 MLD (million liters per day) while they were receiving only 12 MLD.
The Ex- Sarpanch of Salvador do Mundo, Sanjeev Naik pointed out that water shortage is the major issue in Porvorim constituency as people hardly gets water for one to two hours daily. Most of the pipelines laid down in the villages are very old and small in size. Laid down over 25 years back when the population of Porvorim was limited.
“Sometime our taps run dry with no water supply for weeks. Tanker mafia is very active in Porvorim and all commercial establishments like hotels, restaurants, construction companies get enough water supply from PWD tankers. Many people including our locals MLA has raise objections to the same but no one is ready to listen. The United Porvorkars demand an inquiry into this PWD tanker-commercial establishment nexus,” said Sanjeev.
A local from Porvorim and an Activist, Soter D’souza highlighted that rampant pumping of water is being carried out in Saligao and Sangolda.
“Porvorim is placed at a very complicated position and hence there is a problem of water supply. Behind Damian De Goa in a ward called Arrarim, Socorro the residents receive 24 hours water supply because a PWD official was living there. There is total injustice in the distribution of water supply in this area we barely receive water for an hour or two,” told Soter.
Bore wells and other water reservoirs
There is one open well coming under the PWD, Porvorim sub division at Donvaddo. PWD The Executive Engineer, Chavan informed there is no bore well as the only one which was there was termed unfit for drinking as it got contaminated in the due course of time. While there are total of nine ground level tanks and eight overhead tanks coming under this area. However it has come to light that there is no presence of any active rain water harvesting project in this area.
PWD Water tankers plying in Porvorim constituency
The water tankers that supply water to the area coming under the PWD, Porvorim sub division are filled at the water storage tank near O’Coqueiro circle at Porvorim. There are only two water tankers for the area and they carry out a total of a six trips on a given day regularly. An official from the PWD revealed that tanker water is supplied only to residential area and they do not cater to commercial establishments.
While the locals allege that the PWD officials are illegally supplying water to the coastal belt through these tankers and hence causing the water shortage.
The Porvorim MLA, Rohan Khaunte pointed out that this area has a very serious water issue and the PWD officials are involved in underhand dealing with the hoteliers based in the coastal belt. The supply that was coming seven to eight years back has been improved on but it is not sufficient because it is sustainable development. Porvorim has also grown in terms of population and hence the demand water has also increased.
“We have around 16 MLD of water coming in approximately which is being used for adequate supply and not full supply. For long term measures we are already planning a tank, a 20 MLD reservoir which will take care of the water issues. In the due course it has been noticed that there are several things happening down the line such as the supervisors playing with the pumping of the water or tankers being filled and sent to neighboring constituencies. On several occasions it has been brought to the notice of the PWD, Executive Engineer that water is being sent to commercial projects and hotels,” told Khaunte.
Since water related issues were not getting sorted the local MLA had a meeting with the PWD Minister and brought it to his notice to take stern action against all this happening at the ground level which is in short affecting the water supply to Porvorim.
“We have to see that all residents get water and get clearances so the necessary infrastructure is put up. The PWD officials and staff need to be acted against seriously. When there is a water issue here there is no question of sending the water to the coastal belt,” he told.
Over 20 year old pipeline network
Recently there was a scare that the entire PWD pipeline network passing through Porvorim constituency is rusted and damaged at few places which could lead to the contamination of the water being supplied to the residents.
A local from the village of Salvador-do –Mundo, told Herald that the old network of pipelines which are rusted and brittle makes the water passing through it unsafe for consumption. One can recall that last month the PWD replaced two pipes in the village of Salvador-do-Mundo which were totally rusted and damaged. There was a leakage and hence the PWD managed to identify these pipes were rusted and damaged. Probably the condition of the entire pipeline on that stretch could be the same as the pipes are over 20 years old.
The Porvorim MLA, Rohan Khaunte earlier had informed that barely any maintenance work is being carried out by the PWD. “The locals were already facing a problem of adequate water supply in Porvorim. Besides that the PWD pipelines are spotted to be old, broken and rusted at few places. The PWD should do their job properly and see that maintenance work is carried out continuously so the people of Porvorim are not affected,” he said.
The villagers have demanded that the government should check, identify and replace the old pipelines on an urgent basis. After two pipes have been spotted in bad condition it is high time the entire PWD pipeline running through Porvorim constituency needs to be checked.
The Executive Engineer, Chavan informed that in Salvador do Mundo they have carried out an inspection and this week they will be getting the pipes to replace the existing ones on the entire stretch. They will be also replacing the pipeline at defence colony in Porvorim. “Some of the pipes in Porvorim constituency is really old. We will be replacing some pipes at Vaddem as we have already tendered works to the tune of Rs. 45 lakhs,” he told.
15 MLD water treatment plant in Porvorim
A new 15 MLD water treatment plant is coming up near the police quarters at Porvorim. The work has been tendered and is in the final stage of processing and the works should commence shortly. It will be constructed by the WRD and this will solve the water woes of the area.
https://www.heraldgoa.in/Review/Review/When-will-Porvorim-be-free-of-its-water-woes/138696.html
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