Team Herald
Pernem: Even as taps in Pernem homes continue to run dry for several days every week, residents have been forced to turn to wells in the area for water.
Once abandoned in favour of treated running water supplied by the government, the labour-intensive practice of drawing pots and buckets of water from wells has now made a comeback, with locals rushing to restore, repair and clean their wells.
These are the lucky few, as many residents of the coastal taluka, especially those who live in modern houses or apartments, still have to wait for PWD water from the taps, and bear the brunt of the erratic supply, as they do not have access to wells. These people sometimes have to stay up all night waiting for water to flow out of their open taps, as water is released late at night, and if they miss collecting water, they may have to wait three or four days for supply.
Irregular supply due to shortage of water is a major issue plaguing the taluka, hardly a month after the monsoon ended. The situation gets worse during the summer, when people receive water just once or twice in 15 days.
With wells being neglected and lying unused for several years in most places, the PH levels of the water has dropped, making it unsuitable for consumption, explain locals. In many middle-class households, especially in Morjim, Arambol and Mandrem, well water is used only for bathing, washing clothes, cleaning and other tasks, while families choose to purchase bottled water for consumption. The Pernem Water Resources Department has records of 700 wells registered with them in the past nine years. This includes open as well as bore wells, which are used for different purposes including household consumption, commercial and agriculture.
“People need to understand that the age-old technique of ground water conservation through wells is the best source of water they can get. Just because it was convenient, people moved toward taps and abandoned their wells, but now these same wells are turning into a blessing for many,” said T. Parsekar, a teacher from Pernem.
“By abandoning wells, people have polluted and destroyed the natural source of water. There are wells which remain filled with water throughout the year, but are unusable now because they have been neglected for years. The WRD is taking the initiative to clean wells under the Nital Goem, Nital Baim scheme, but only if a person opts for it. What about the wells that do not have owners or caretakers?” said a local, Shekhar Salgaonkar, calling for these wells to be restored, and tapped during times of water scarcity.
