MARGAO: The residents of Betul village are furious with the government and PWD for failing to address their water supply issues for the last two months. Considering their predicament, they questioned how Goa can be called a State that has achieved 100% ‘Har Ghar Jal’.
The women of Betul village have warned that if these problems are not rectified, they, along with their families, will take to the roads in protest, holding their vessels and buckets and blocking vehicular traffic. They lamented that this appeared to be the only way to get the attention of the authorities, as so far, their appeals to the PWD and the MLA have not yielded any results.
They expressed dismay that they have to sometimes even skip having a bath as there is no water and are forced to carry water from nearby water bodies to meet their daily requirements.
Roshni Mote said that water supply only comes in the evening and that too with slow pressure which takes a lot of time to fill their buckets and does not reach their tanks.
She added that they face great difficulties in washing their dishes and clothes or preparing food for their children in the morning, before they go to school.Suvarna Juwartkar also lamented that during days of religious importance, they do not have water and are forced to live in such inhumane conditions.
Locals pointed out the irony that Betul has the sea, river and the fishing jetty nearby but the government is unable provide them with adequate water supply. “We get very upset when we hear news about pipelines bursting and litres of water spilling on the roads, given our plight,” added Mote.
