Members of Goa’s new ministerial team have begun to take charge of their respective portfolios, most making public statements of what they will do with the departments they have got. While there were goals set by some, others also appeared to be more pragmatic. Water was a theme that got discussed, with the new PWD Minister Nilesh Cabral stating that 24×7 water supply is still a dream, but that work towards fulfilling it is on and Water Resources Minister Subhash Shirodkar stating that the most urgent and important priority of the government is protecting River Mhadei.
The promise of 24×7 water supply has been a carrot dangled before the people for years. In July 2019, MLAs in the State Assembly had raised the issue of inadequate supply of potable water and there had been the unanimous demand that water should be provided 24×7. Before that in 2014, the then PWD minister has committed towards providing 24×7 filtered tap water supply by December 2016. In July 2013, the then chief minister had made a similar assurance and announced 2014 as the deadline for continuous water supply. This wasn’t the first of the promises, but one of many. Now, in 2022, almost an entire decade later the new minister comes clear and says it a dream. So were the governments of the past ten years, selling dreams to the people of Goa, fully aware that they could not be achieved?
Even just two months ago, in February, just days before the elections it was learnt that Panjim was poised to get 24×7 water supply with SCADA (supervisory control and data acquisition) system approved by the Imagine Panjim Smart City Development Limited (IPSCDL). With the fresh statement from the new PWD minister, one if left to wonder whether this will be possible, even if the supply is only for the State capital.
It is clear that Goa will not get 24×7 water supply anytime soon. So can the government concentrate on releasing adequate water to households? Goa’s current water requirement is 150 litres per capita per day (LPCD) in urban areas with seweraged houses and 140 litres per capita per day without sewerage lines and it is 70 litres per day per person in rural areas. There are 2.40 lakh water consumers, with 75 per cent being domestic consumers.
Speaking on water supply, WRD minister said his department’s task is to ensure that households get sufficient potable water and his objective will be to achieve self sufficiency in water supply. There was no reference made to 24×7 water supply. In an aim for the future, he said that his target is to see that Goa has enough water for the next 25 years.
On the Mhadei issue, the new WRD minister assures to study the matter in detail but also promised that the government will work towards seeing that the State gets its share of the river water it is due and fight attempts to divert the water. The Mhadei waters is a delicate issue and the government has to find a solution to the already very prolonged matter. Goa’s stand on the waters of the Mhadei has to be clearly elucidated that no diversion of its waters, before the river flows into the Goa, can be allowed. The government has to be firm on this and the communication to the Centre on this stand has to be unequivocal. Can the new minister for water resources manage this?
With two new ministers taking charge of portfolios concerning water issues, can there be a change in the manner in which the departments have been working? We know now that 24×7 water supply will not be possible, can there at least be adequate supply of water?
