Team Herald
NAVELIM: Similar to their counterparts in other parts of Goa, the Navelim villagers in Salcete Taluka, with a population of over 30,000, reeling under irregular water supply.
Speaking on the condition of anonymity, several residents of the Rosary Complex situated close to the office of the former chief minister and Navelim Congress Legislator Luizinho Faleiro informed that they were undergoing severe difficulties due to the irregular water supply in the Buticas ward, Navelim since the past one week.
The PWD officials disclosed that due to the ongoing work of providing water connections to the households in nearby Davorlim village, the water pressure valve had been shut which caused decrease in water pressure supplied to the entire Navelim Constituency.
The PWD engineer further claimed that “one of the reasons for the water scarcity issues being presently faced by the residents is because the villagers were watering their gardens during this month” adding that the water supply will continue to be irregular asking the affected residents to make water arrangements through water tankers.
When contacted, PWD Minister Deepak Pauskar assured to conduct an inquiry into the frequent water supply woes faced by the Navelim residents.
Navelim MLA Faleiro pointed out that he had ensured that Navelim Constituency had adequate water supply. Though, he admitted that the old water pipelines could not sustain the present excessive load and hence tend to burst very frequently.
He stated that he had summoned the PWD Chief Engineer Uttam Parsekar and other officials to his residence inquiring about the frequent water scarcity complaints that he had received from the villagers.
Faleiro lamented that he had also complained regarding the frequent damages done to the water pipeline by the Sewerage Department while undergoing their digging works to lay their sewerage pipelines throughout the Navelim Constituency.
Interestingly, hardly a week back on Saturday, February 6, the Navelim residents were severely inconvenienced by a sudden unannounced shutdown in the water supply due to the breakdown of the water pipeline supplying water to the Navelim village.
A Dongrim-Navelim resident divulged that “the PWD officials had informed him that the main pipeline had burst near the old Navelim Village Panchayat office situated near the Our Lady of Rosary cemetery around 10 am due to the excessive load on the old rusty pipes.”
A Belem-Navelim resident and Aam Admi Party (AAP) Zilla Panchayat candidate Mathilda Silva, too, expressed her ire at the frequent water scarcity problems in Navelim and surrounding areas.
Silva remarked, “Water is an essential commodity that one needs to cook, wash vessels, flush the toilets, etc. After a tiring day at work, it’s very frustrating to come home and discover that there is no water in the main pipeline. Now since I have a well, I do not suffer but I have empathy for those who undergo hardship due to water scarcity issues especially my neighbours who come to my home to draw water from my well.”
It may be recalled that the Herald report ‘Navelim locals face hardship due to broken water pipeline’ on January 28 had highlighted the sudden rupture in the main water pipeline at Nagmoddem-Navelim supplying water to the entire Navelim village.
