Pernem: Irked over irregular water supply, people from different parts of Pernem taluka on Monday gathered outside the office of PWD water section and confronted the Assistant Engineer, Soma Naik highlighting the problem.
The issue of irregular water supply have turned into a nightmare for the people of Pernem taluka, especially in the coastal belt. However this year the problem has become major acute since the villages which never faced any issue with regards to water supply, also have been complaining about the same.
They questioned the AE over the provision that the department have made to supply water for the month of April and May.
People pointed out that with development projects coming in the taluka, there will be also an increase in population. But the government is doing least to cater to this population.
“It seems like the government is not providing necessary assistance to PWD to solve water shortage problem. The problem becomes acute especially during the month of April and May when the wells go dry completely. At least for half an hour, people should get water so that they can store it for the rest of the day,” the local villagers said.
They further pointed that if this issue is not looked into now, then after few years it will be difficult to survive.
The Chandel water treatment plant caters to whole of Pernem taluka. Though the demand for water has increased, the supply has remained the same.
The Pernem taluka as a whole receives only 15 MLD water when the actual demand is more than 30 MLD, which forced the people to either store water for several days and make limited use of the store water or stay without water for several days.
Sources informed that every month around 25 to 40 new connections get added to the total number of tap connections. However the amount of water supply from the Chandel plant has remained the same.