TEAM HERALD
MARGAO: PWD Minister Sudin Dhavlikar on Tuesday said the government has plans to provide free water up to 12 cubic meter to small households even has he assured that people of South Goa will receive water 24×7 from December 2015.
Speaking after laying the foundation stone for a 1000 cubic meter overhead water reservoir tank at Varca in the presence of Benaulim MLA Caitu Silva, the PWD minister said he has had consultations with Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar and was working on the modalities of providing free water up to 12 cubic meter for a 3-4 member family. “The proposal is very much feasible and the government may implement the same by March next year”, he said.
The PWD Minister said that people of South Goa can now look forward to uninterrupted water supply from December 2015 as the JICA project to augment water supply to South Goa is underway.
The project will add 100 MLD of water once this project is implemented. Once this is achieved, people of Salcete, Mormugao and Sanguem and Quepem will receive uninterrupted water supply”, he said, while taking pot shots at the previous Congress government for sitting on the water augmentation file for the five long eyars.
Dhavlikar tried to allay apprehensions in the minds of the people along the coastal belt that the water supply project is being taken in the villages to supply water to the hotels. “The government is committed to supply to the villagers as well as the tourism stake holders”, he said.
In his address, the Benaulim MLA said the overhead water reservoirs proposed in his Benaulim constituency will go a long way to overcome the water scarcity. He said the government is not creating the water storage facility for the hotels, but for the local residents of the coastal belt as part of the plan to make available water 24×7.
The PWD Minister also assured a delegation of contract workers that the government will not throw the on the streets after working in the PWD department for years now.
