MARGAO: Manganese deposits in Selaulim Dam water are back, earlier than expected and forcing a halt in the water treatment and purification process and supply.
Following incessant rains during the last week the water level in the Selaulim reservoir increased and so did the manganese deposits which led to the Water Resources Department shutting down the purification process resulting in several dry taps in South Goa in the last four days.
The failure of the authorities to inform and warn residents of the water shortage gave rise to anger among consumers. The possibility of water supply being restored in the coming days appears bleak, and this has forced people to source water from tankers. Curchorem and Sanvordem are the worst affected, while Sanguem, Quepem and areas in Margao have been facing water shortage.
The water shortage in Curchorem and Quepem is so bad that residents have been forced to shift to the houses of their relatives. A family from Astemol-Curchorem has shifted to a relative’s house in Quepem. Others have been compelled to use rain water for drinking and Curchorem residents have begun using rain water to wash utensils and clothes. Several villages have not received water for the entire week.
A tap near Sai Mandir in Camaral had been receiving a little water while other taps in the village have dried up. Hundreds of women were seen lined up at the tap till midnight for water but even this tap stopped flowing on Friday afternoon. Several government employees have taken leave to assist in collecting water for domestic use.
The shortage of water has also affected restaurants adversely. “We have used water from tankers for the last three days and now even that water has stopped and looks like we will have to shut down business till water supply is restored,” said a restaurateur Madhusudan Naik.
Tanks from apartments in Morayle have dried up forcing people to buy packaged drinking water. Others are drawing water from wells which haven’t been cleaned for years.
Manganese in the Selaulim water is an annual occurrence as in the past too the reservoir has had rich manganese deposits, causing problems at the Xelpem water treatment. However, this year the traces of manganese were found in June, forcing the authorities to shut down the purification and treatment processes.
Speaking to Herald the PWD Chief Engineer Shrikant Paranjape said, “Every year during the rains we face this problem. The problem of manganese deposits is specifically faced in July but it does not have an impact of more than three days. The problem subsides automatically.”
He, however, added, “This time the problem has become a lot more serious. Due to the high frequency of manganese in the water the workers have been forced to clean the belts in the plant repeatedly. This has forced us to release 15 to 20 MLD less water than normal.” Sources said that the water being released currently is less than half of the quantity released normally.
Sources said that because the concentration of manganese is high it will take longer to resolve. The Selaulim reservoir falls in an area that has several manganese mines which were operational in the past but are now shut. There are also several stone quarries on the banks of the rivers that are operating. When it pours the water from the quarries enters into the river and causes an adverse effect on the water treatment process right from pulling water through pumps into the plant, purification and also supply.
Water Resource Department Assistant Engineer Usgaonkar who holds charge of Curchorem division said, “Since the rains have begun tanker owners have separated their tanks from the vehicles and that is causing problems to find tankers. Despite that we are supplying water by tankers to some areas.”
With wells having been filled with rain water, people have been left with no option but to use this water.
