SHWETA KAMAT
shweta@herald-goa.com
Around seven kilometres from Panjim is the Kadamba Plateau which is fast emerging as the hottest destination for residential real-estate in Goa. With the Old Goa bypass being commissioned the area is much in demand with builders looking at the Plateau as the potential best residential and commercial hub.
Though the real estate developers here are focusing primarily only on providing the best of amenities like a swimming pool, gymnasium, gardens, club-houses and adequate parking facilities- the biggest issue haunting the residential is non-availability of the tap-water. Water crisis are at its worst for the locals residing in the area and may worsen further with more and more developmental projects coming up.
In the absence of a water-pipeline, the residents are forced to depend on either bore-wells or water-tankers. And the way the plateau is growing, there are serious concerns raised by the people about the possible decline in water level, thereby draining the bore-wells.
“The tap-water availability is almost nil in this area, which is now developing at a rapid speed. People are facing serious crisis of domestic water supply. The big colonies like ours- Millroc- have bore wells, whereas the other residents are completely dependent on tanker water,” Sandeep Naik, a resident who has returned from the gulf, said.
Another resident, Mohanlal Biswas explains that his family has been in residence in the area for last four decades and the issue of water has been haunting them since then. “The area was not as developed as it today. With more and more development in form of residential and commercial establishments, the water level has already declined and it will decrease further in near future,” he stated.
Kadamba Plateau Residents Action Committee (KPRAC) recently met Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar asking him to resolve the public water supply facility problems at the Plateau. During the meeting Chief Minister assured tap water supply to the area by October, 2017.
KPRAC had brought to the notice of the Government that domestic water woes continue to affect the residents of Kadamba Plateau even though people have been residing in this area with valid panchayat and statutory clearances for more than two decades, the government till date has failed to provide tap water.
It is learnt that Government has already constructed two major water tanks each of 650 MLD at the plateau for supply of water to the residents; however, the water collection in the tanks is not sufficient enough to tackle the need of the entire plateau, which is growing at a much faster pace.
Further the 28 MLD plant at Opa, which is expected to be completed by December providing water to Ponda and Tiswadi, will supply 5 MLD
water at Kadamba plateau. “The way the plateau is growing, in future there will be a need of at least 10 MLD at Kadamba plateau and the department is working keeping this in mind. The Opa plant would be commissioned by December this year,” a PWD official said.
When contacted, local MLA and Minister Pandurang Madkaikar said that he is constantly following up the matter with the PWD officials and that the entire water issue would be resolved by December-January, next year. “OPA treatment plant will be able to provide us five to six MLD of water which will take care of the existing need,” he said.
Mr Madkaikar informed that PWD is also working on providing water to the plateau from the Panchwadi treatment plant. “By December, the water issue of the area would be resolved,” he said informing that water pipelines would be connected, after the monsoons.
But isn’t this a case of absolute disconnect between haphazard residential growth and basic infrastructure. Do these deadlines make any sense when even the availability of related water from the Opa plant will be only half the present needs? The gap between demand and supply is only to increase further, making us wonder if best living will indeed be a reality.
