Team Herald
MARGAO: Benaulim Congress Block has called for urgent action to address the severe water crisis affecting several villages in the constituency, highlighting the non-functional status of overhead water tanks built nearly a decade ago.
Addressing the media, Block President Keith Gracias along with other leaders, drew attention to the persistent water shortage plaguing residents of Colva 2nd Ward, Fatrade, Varca and parts of Orlim, where low water pressure has become a critical concern.
They referred to two major overhead water tanks constructed by the PWD) in 2016 - a 1000 cubic meter tank in Varca and a 500 cubic meter tank in Orlim - which remain unused due to infrastructural inadequacies. The tanks, along with a 300 cubic meter facility in Carmona, were meant to resolve the area's water problems but have instead become symbols of failed planning and bureaucratic inefficiency.
Gracias criticised the PWD’s recent claim that additional land is required for a sump and pumping station, questioning why such basic requirements weren't considered during the initial planning phase.
With summer approaching, Gracias demanded immediate intervention from the MLA and Chief Minister, who holds the PWD portfolio, to either operationalise the tanks or replace the inadequate pipeline network that currently prevents the tanks from being filled due to low pressure.