At a time when several parts of Goa are fac ing an acute shortage of wa ter, thousands of litres were wasted following a major pipeline burst at Arlem in Raia on Wednesday, raising serious concerns among residents. The incident occurred during ongoing work for the laying of a gas pipeline, when an underground wa ter pipeline was reportedly damaged, triggering a sud den rupture. Within min utes, large volumes of water began gushing out, flooding the surrounding area and flowing directly into nearby drains. Eyewitnesses described the scene as chaotic, with water spreading rapidly across the road, resem bling flood-like conditions.
The unexpected surge not only led to wastage of pre cious drinking water but also caused significant in convenience to motorists and pedestrians. Traffic movement in the area was disrupted as vehicles strug gled to pass through water logged stretches. Local residents expressed anger and frustration over the incident, especially giv en the ongoing water scar city in several parts of the state. “It is extremely painful to see such a huge quantity of water being wasted when many of us are struggling to get regular supply at home,” said Anthony Fernandes, a resident of Raia. “We store water every day because of irregular supply, and here it is just flowing away into drains.” Another local shopkeep er blamed the lack of coor dination between depart ments. “These works are happening frequently, but there seems to be no prop er planning. Before digging, authorities should check for existing pipelines. This kind of negligence is unac ceptable,” he said. Commuters passing through the area also voiced their concerns over safety and inconvenience. “The road was completely covered with water, and it was difficult to judge the depth. It created a risky sit uation for two-wheelers,” said Milagres Fernandes. “Such incidents could eas ily lead to accidents if not managed quickly.” Residents further point ed out that such incidents are not isolated and have occurred in the past dur ing infrastructure-related works.
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They stressed the need for stricter supervi sion and accountability to prevent recurrence. “There has to be some responsibility fixed. Every time a pipeline is damaged, we suffer—either through water cuts or wastage. Au thorities must ensure bet ter coordination between departments carrying out such works,” another resi dent added. Despite the scale of the incident, there was no immediate official state ment from the concerned authorities at the time of reporting. However, locals claimed that repair work was initiated after some delay. The incident has once again highlighted the urgent need for better planning and execution of infrastruc ture projects, particularly in areas with existing util ity networks. Citizens have urged authorities to take necessary precautions and adopt more efficient moni toring mechanisms to avoid such losses in the future. With water scarcity already affecting many households, the wastage of thousands of litres due to negligence has sparked widespread concern and calls for accountability.
