SHOAIB SHAIKH
PWD officials brushed aside speculations of water scarcity during the summer this year. However, as part of the annual maintenance, planned interruptions on the water supply will be carried out which should not be construed as short supply of water, the official said.
Executive Engineer, Dileep Dhavalikar informed Herald that the city has more than 12,000 water supply connections. “Every day through these pipelines 48 MLD water is supplied to the consumers in Panjim and the surrounding areas”, he stated.
Brushing aside possibilities of water scarcity during summer, he said “The water resources department has constructed new bandharas and the water levels have been increased. With the commissioning of a new bandhara last year, the water level has been raised from 3 metres to 4.5 metres; therefore we do not see any possible scarcity of water this summer.”
The Panjim division of the PWD caters to all the areas under the Corporation of the City of Panaji (CCP) and assembly constituencies of Taleigao, St. Cruz, St. Andre including Goa Medical College and Hospital.
PWD data states that Panjim city is covered 95% by service lines. PWD has laid more than 45 kms of pipeline in its duty of supplying water to the citizens of the capital city.
Panjim city receives its water supply from the OPA water supply scheme. The OPA plant located in Khandepar caters to the Tiswadi and Ponda talukas.
The government has undertaken construction of 10 MLD water treatment plant at Maisal dam, Panchawadi in Shiroda. The project will help the Ponda taluka to give up its share received from the OPA water treatment plant, which will then be diverted to the Tiswadi taluka, thus increasing the supply capacity to the areas under the CCP jurisdiction.
Currently the PWD has the capacity to supply tapped water only to the residents of the capital city, the department tankers supply water to the Ribandar area.
Responding to queries about consumer complaints, Dhavalikar said that most of the time complaints are either just information transmitted to any officer or to the labour at any work site.
