Warning of a com plete boycott of the upcom ing elections, agitated resi dents of Shirshirem-Borim in the Shiroda constituency staged a protest on Sunday over a crippling, long-stand ing water crisis. Taking a di rect dig at the government’s flagship water scheme, the agitators raised slogans of “Har Ghar Nal, but no jal” to highlight the administra tion’s failure to provide reg ular potable water. The agitated residents of the Shiroda constituency issued a stern warning to the State administration to resolve the water crisis im mediately. Protesters revealed a shocking disparity in local utility management.
While the Public Works Depart ment (PWD) delivers water bills every month, it only supplies tap water once every 15 days, they claimed. To cope, they claimed that families are forced to wake up as early as 3 am to catch highly irregular supply lines just to prepare school tiffins. When the government deploys emer gency water tankers, locals alleged that the water is frequently muddy and unfit for cooking or consump tion. Villagers pointed out that former PWD Minister Deepak Pauskar laid the foundation stone for a new 110 mm diameter water pipeline back in 2019. Sev en years later, absolutely no progress has been made on the ground.
If you enjoyed reading this article, you can help support our journalism by adding OHeraldo as a preferred source.
Local delegations have repeatedly met with their MLA and Minister, Sub hash Shirodkar, and even submitted formal memo randums to the PWD office at Daag, Ponda, in March. Despite these efforts, they complained that the ad ministration has offered no solutions or technical clari fications. Compounding the anger is the visible disparity in water distribution. Villag ers highlighted that while newly constructed residen tial buildings in the area receive regular water, the traditional, tail-end villag ers are left completely dry. Some pockets have been starving for water since 2019, while others have seen their supply vanish en tirely over the past year.
The locals have demand ed an immediate official clarification from the PWD regarding the stalled pipe line and a concrete timeline for restoring clean, daily potable water. Pradeep Gaude of Aframent Shirshirem-Borim said, “Residents have report edly faced water shortages for up to seven years in some areas, and at least one year in others. Despite the government’s “Har Ghar Nal, Har Ghar Jal” initiative, villagers continue to receive regular water bills without receiving consistent water supply. Many residents are forced to wake up between 2 am and 3 am to check for water, often finding their taps dry.” Gaude further stated that following an agitation on March 13 before the PWD office in Ponda, AE Kashinath Saraf promised regular supply. However, this relief lasted only a few days before the crisis resumed. Furthermore, despite meeting with the WRD Minister and receiving assurances, the problem remains unre solved. The community is facing a dire situation and requests immediate action to ensure a regular and reliable water supply.
