CANACONA: There are hundreds of wells in Canacona Taluka most of which are now a fertile breeding ground for mosquitos and other insects due to non usage thus creating a health hazard in the Taluka. Water is a sensitive subject in Canacona of late due to various reasons.
In earlier times having a well in the property was a sign of prestige and well being of the family but after the PWD started supplying treated water through pipes directly to the kitchen and the bathrooms, the well which was one of the gossiping centre for the housewives in each and every village of Goa has now become a major health hazard.
There are hundreds of open as well as bored wells registered with the water resource department (WRD) in Canacona Taluka. The wells lying in agricultural properties are well maintained by farmers as the farming activity revolves around the usage of water on a day to day basis which keeps the water clean but the wells in the areas with human habitation are neglected as locals have stopped using this water ever since Municipal water was made available to almost all the households in the Taluka.
With no one to take care of these abandoned wells the water has become polluted with all sorts of water, plastic, dead animals etc posing a health hazard in the locality. Some wells are engulfed by trees and of late these wells have become popular amongst people who are fed up with their life. In such situations the emergency services like fire personnel find it difficult to save lives in accidental cases when humans or animals have fallen in to the well. Retreiving bodies from these wells have become a task in itself.
This unused wells are a major concern for the environmentalists as the ground water is getting polluted due to this wells.
Mr. Anil Bgagat a resident of Canacona who has a well in his property says he uses the well water for his domestic as well as gardening needs, and opined that the WRD department has to conduct a survey of the unused wells and direct the owners to either keep their wells properly maintained or burried with soil to prevent it from spreading vector borne diseases.
