MARGAO: Water taps ran dry in many parts of the commercial capital on Monday after a water pipeline was damaged at Aquem area during the excavation to lay down a new water pipeline under JICA project.
As the situation threatened to disrupt water supply during the peak tourist season, an emergency meeting of PWD officials chaired by Margao MLA Digambar Kamat decided to ban further excavation work on the proposed line till January 3.
The main line was damaged at around 11 am at Aquem near Santos garage, leaving hundreds of household without water in the areas of Aquem, Malbhat, Calconda, Khareband, Sirvodem, Pedda and other areas in the southern region of the city. A senior PWD official said the pipeline was again damaged at around 3.30 around the same place.
While work was going on at full pace at the site to restore water supply, a senior engineer said that efforts are on to resume water supply to the city by evening.
After the meeting, the Margao MLA told Herald that the contractor undertaking the excavation work on the new water pipeline has been told to stop all work for a week. “This being the peak season with many tourists putting up at hotels, we cannot afford frequent breakdowns in the water supply to the city,” Kamat said.
Meanwhile, residents of Malbhat on Monday evening took to the streets demanding regular water supply to the area. They pointed that water supply to the area has been erratic since the last 15 days with both the sewerage and PWD officials passing the buck on the exact cause behind the water problem facing the locality.
Elvis Fernandes said that the people will have no option than to take to the streets if the problem is not rectified immediately, even as ward Councillor Dadi Mayenkar said that he has taken up the matter with the PWD and sewerage authorities.
