PORVORIM: Chief Minister Pramod Sawant informed the State Legislative Assembly on Wednesday that there is a shortfall of 79 MLD of water due to insufficient supply compared to demand.
In response to a calling attention motion tabled by MLAs Vijai Sardesai and Carlos Alvares Ferreira, the Chief Minister stated, “The current total demand for water across 40 constituencies is 664 MLD, while the total supplied is 585 MLD, resulting in a deficit of 79 MLD.”
He said replacement of old pipelines is being taken up in a phased manner.
Pointing out that significant water theft occurs at construction projects, the Chief Minister said unauthorised pumps used for water theft will be confiscated within the next 15 days and he will not hesitate to initiate action against department engineers if they fail to shut down such pumps.
Sawant said, “The PWD is continuously investing in upgrading and modernising our treatment facilities, distribution networks and storage systems. PWD is also striving to minimise losses and maximize the utilisation of treated water resources. It is implementing smart monitoring systems for real time monitoring of water supply systems. This will help PWD to optimise water distribution networks, detect and repair leaks promptly and identify opportunities for efficiency improvements so as to achieve the dream goal of 24×7 water supply.”
In their calling attention motion, the MLAs said that there was fear and anxiety in the minds of the people due to severe shortage of water in the State.
