Team Herald
PANJIM: With dams and modern centralised water supply system, Goa’s villages which were once reservoirs of water with an abundance of natural water sources, are today thirsting for this precious liquid. Despite tall claims and government schemes such as “Har Ghar Nal” there are many villages which do not receive adequate water.
Villagers of Advaim and other villages of Sattari are facing acute shortage of water. Some villages count themselves lucky if they get water supply for one hour, otherwise they have to pine for water till the next morning. Sometimes there is no water for days together, villagers recounted.
Krutika Gaude from Vantem village said, “We get water for an hour daily. Then suddenly there is no water for two to four days. We do call tankers but often they come without informing, so we don’t get water. There is no water sources close by. We suffer tremendously since we do not get water for bathing and washing clothes. One barrel is not enough for bathing and washing clothes”.
The villagers are also exasperated with tanker water suppliers. Although they are called in frequently, they too do not come on time. As a result the villagers have to decide between getting water or losing their daily wage.
Another local said, the villagers had complained to the assistant engineer at the nearest PWD water supply office. “He took our photograph and told us to meet the junior engineer. Till today they have done nothing to solve our water woes,” he said.
The water shortage is a story of the last 10 years. Before that the villages used to get water from Daboshe. Some villagers complained that the staff do not know where the valves are located to switch water from one ward to the other.
Krishna Gaude, a resident of Mattiwado, said the water supply from Daboshe was stopped in 2012 and a tank was constructed with a pump to supply water to the villages.
“We don’t know when they supply water to which ward. It was difficult to get people even to protest on this issue. They have diverted the water and people from various wards are fighting. We are desperate, we don’t know whom to approach to solve this issue,” Gaude said.
Gaude stated that sometimes he has to keep his wife and children at his in-laws place and he has to go and fetch water with his car.
Laxmi Gaude from Mattiwado, said, “We get water for half hour not one hour, if there is no power supply then we don’t get water for two days. Sometimes we do not get water even if there is power supply. There is no water source nearby for washing clothes.”
Another woman from Mattiwado also said they get water for only one hour or sometimes less. “We don’t have utensils other than just one barrel to store water. Tankers don’t come on time. We are not able to go to work if we wait for the tanker. We want 24×7 water or at least for two to three hours, she suggested.
Apart from the water shortage issue, the children of the village face the danger of the open water tank which is located close to the Government Primary School. The tank lid is open and without a lock. The primary school students come to the tank where the lid is open and may attempt to get into the tank with the ladder which is installed inside the tank. Sometimes people who are desperate for water also get into the tank by using the ladder with their utensils. Anytime a tragedy is waiting to happen, villagers lamented.
One villager suggested that PWD should have a system whereby every few hours PWD switches water supply from one ward to the other, according to a timetable, which should be made known to the people. Presently, the whole day they give water to only one ward, not to other wards. The person who is operating valves is not bothered, they said.
