Team Herald
PERNEM: Farmers, locals and social activists decided to stage “Jal Andolan” at Bailpar demanding that government stop the ongoing work of a pump house immediately.
Protestors will stand in the river at Bailpar to express their opposition to the project and highlight that the project once completed will affect entire Pernem taluka.
For several months, the villagers especially farmers have been fighting to stop the ongoing work of the pump house project along the Bailpar River bank.
The estimated cost of the project is Rs 26 crore. They said the project once completed will badly affect the water supply of entire Pernem taluka.
“A 15 MLD plant exists and the work of another plant of 15 MLD is underway. If the government wants to improve the water supply then instead of augmenting the plant to 15 MLD, it should increase its capacity. If both these plants will pump water from the Bailpar River then what is the need to have this third pump house? This third pump house is to further release the water into the Tillari canal for further supply to the corporate projects. If these three plants continue to pump water from the river, the river will dry,” the farmers said.
“The villagers and the panchayat were not taken into confidence before taking up the project work. Just because it is a government project, people are not going to accept it”, the locals said.
Projects which are harmful to the environment will be opposed. Government should take the people into confidence and explain the purpose of this pump house and how it is going to benefit people and guarantee that it will not affect the water level of Bailpar River,” the locals added.
