Team Herald
PANJIM: Residents of the Smart City continue to grapple with new problems as Panjim’s cup of woes keeps overflowing. On Sunday, the residents of Bhatlem and surrounding areas in the city scrambled to save their belongings after the main pipeline supplying water to Taleigao and Dona Paula burst, leaving their homes flooded and properties destroyed.
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Those residing in the low-lying areas faced tremendous losses as the water gushed into their houses, kitchens destroying their home appliances and other household articles.
However, what was surprising to note was that the poor residents were battling with the rising waters as the authorities were conspicuous by their absence. They demanded compensation from the authorities for the damages.
According to the locals, the pipeline was damaged at around 10 am, which forced the water to seep into seven houses.
Farida Makandar, an affected resident, said, “I was watching TV when we saw water entering our house. We were surprised to see the water. Nobody bothered to visit us to find out what had happened. Water entered almost most of the houses in our area. We have electronic gadgets like refrigerator and television.”
Nasira Makandar, another affected resident said, “I work in the Corporation of the City of Panaji (CCP). I received a call from my children stating that water has entered our house. I rushed home and saw that water had entered the kitchen, which destroyed my washing machine.”
Reshma Makandar, another affected resident, said, “We were sleeping when, suddenly, wastewater gushed into our house. Our kitchen, our furniture and everything was ruined. Worse, this water entered from the sewer line! Now we’re scared of falling sick, but no one from the administration has even bothered to check on us.”
Former CCP Mayor Uday Madkaikar said, “Initially I thought that the water leakage was from a sewer line, but I was told that water started leaking from the pipeline maintained by the PWD.”
“Smart City work is underway in the area, but nowhere Smart City officials are present. They only sit in the air conditioned office and enjoy themselves. The work is being carried out in a most irresponsible manner and nobody cares about that. They are least bothered about the people and their problems,” Madkaikar said.
“The cost of Smart City work is around Rs 1,200 crore. The quality should be such that the roads will not require maintenance for next 30-40 years, but the work carried out is of substandard quality. There is no guarantee that these works will last even for four or five years,” he added.
PWD sources said the water pipeline which supplies water to Taleigao and Dona Paula areas developed cracks, which caused the water leakage. However, they said that it was yet to be ascertained whether it was due to Smart City work or something else. The repair work continued till late night and there was information as to when it would be completed. If the pipeline was not repaired at night, then there was every possibility that Taleigao and Dona Paula areas would go without water.
In the process, the axe fell on a coconut tree for reasons best known to the authorities carrying out the works.
Meanwhile, Imagine Panaji Smart City Development Ltd (IPSCDL) clarified that the recent water pipeline burst at Bhatlem, which led to water wastage and temporary flooding in low-lying areas, was not caused by any Smart City-related works.
“The issue originated due to an internal pipeline end cap breakage inside Dhanlaxmi Colony, an entirely unrelated matter. IPSCDL has not undertaken any activities in the affected zone that could have led to this incident,” IPSCDL said in a statement.
