During the monsoon last year, the well at my home in Cunchelim-Mapusa suddenly became contaminated – the water turned murky, with a film of oil or grease over it. The water from our well was always clear and sweet, and we depended on this water for all our needs, from drinking and cooking to washing and watering our crops. During summers, when many people in the neighbourhood faced water shortage, this well would provide us all with clean water.
In July 2024, I complained to all the relevant authorities in the hope of identifying the cause of this contamination and to get my well cleaned and restored. Health department officials visited my house after my complaint, collected samples and gave me a shocking report – my well water was contaminated with E coli bacteria (likely from sewage) as well as various chemicals, making it unfit for human consumption. A test report from the Goa Pollution Control Board confirmed that the well was polluted with several petrochemicals – high levels of phenanthrene, benzo pyrene, indeno pyrene, fluorine and anthracene among others were found in the water, which also has a petroleum smell.
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For the last seven months now, I have been running from pillar to post to elicit action from the authorities. While I suspect that a fuel station close to my house may be the cause of the pollution, I require the authorities to conduct an investigation and take necessary action to restore my drinking water source.
Despite repeated complaints, trips and letters to the Goa State Pollution Control Board, I have not received any helpful response. For months now, my family has been forced to purchase water and are facing great difficulty in obtaining tankers. With the scorching summer expected this year, we urgently need the well to be cleaned and the pollution source to be plugged, so we can get on with our lives. Is it too much to ask for tax-paying citizens to receive assistance from the government for something as basic as clean drinking water? Is it not their duty to address our problem? I urge the authorities, including the pollution control board to take note of our predicament, and on humanitarian grounds, respond to my complaints.
As of now the well water smells of petrol and is unbearable.
