PONDA: Despite having Opa Water Treatment Plant in the taluka, people in Ponda and Dharbandora go through water crisis at the height of summer.
Opa caters to the needs of Ponda and Tiswadi Talukas for many years; ironically, the villages surrounding the plant thirst for water.
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PWD had started the work of a water treatment plant at Ganjem, a few years ago hoping to quench the thirst of locals from Usgao and Priol.
Currently, the PWD supplies water to the villages based on Dudhsagar River bank through filters. However, with the rising townships and increase in number of consumers the demand for potable water has been increasing sharply.
Despite the constant water shortage, the water tank built at Dhavshire-Usage is unused for years. PWD had repaired the tank three years ago and locals have expressed discontent over the department’s lack of will to put it to productive use.
“PWD supplies water through tankers in the Shiroda but given the vast locality, there is a need to replace the pipelines which were laid years ago. Wells dry up during May which adds to the woes of the locals,” said Shiroda BJP Block President Suraj Naik.
As per the information provided by PWD office, two tankers are sent regularly to Shiroda and will continue till the monsoon sets in.
Meanwhile, non-Goans residing in Usgao panchayat area have not been given water connections yet which is why they have to rely on public taps. During the gram sabha a few months back, locals had raised the issue that people use the public taps to wash their vehicles which results in major wastage.
