The problem of water scarcity in the suburb Porvorim is growing everyday with authorities least concerned to solve the crisis.
The constituency has been struggling to get adequate water supply despite the High Court of Bombay at Goa reprimanding the public works departments (PWD) in 2010 for its failure to fulfill the basic commodity of the residents.
The successive governments have done nothing to solve the issue except for assurances.
The government has said it has laid new pipelines, storage reservoirs spending crores of rupees but the result has been the same.
In June 2010, the High Court had passed strictures against the government for failing to regularly supply water to Porvorim and Sucorro areas. The government, had earlier on January 28, 2010, assured the bench that it would release water for at least an hour on a daily basis. But the residents continue to complain of water scarcity till date.
“We are no less than some neglected villages in some parts of the country. Porvorim has almost grown like a city with major infrastructures in place, but water shortages continue to haunt us,” rued Vinay Kumar, a Torda-resident.
The locals’ complain that government’s care-a-damn attitude towards the basic need is having severe impact on their lives also as the town faces frequent power failures. “Repeated complaints to the local PWD office are of no use,” Krishna Marathe alleged.Irrespective of their political rivalry, the candidates of 2017 polls had a common agenda to get rid of water woes.
While local MLA Rohan Khaunte has already moved the Vigilance Department demanding investigation into the alleged ‘water mafia’ operating in the constituency, BJP’s Guruprasad Pawaskar and MGP candidate Rajesh Amonkar’s door-to-door campaign saw them assuring people to solve the crisis.
Khaunte has charged the authorities of being incompetent claiming “the officials are only interested in personal gains.” He alleged that water to Porvorim is instead supplied to the adjoining constituency.
Moreover, water tankers do not reach the people despite registration. In view of this, Khaunte filed a complaint with the vigilance department seeking investigation.
The opposition, meanwhile, targeted the failure of the local MLA to solve a string of problems suffered by the people of Porvorim. Diversion of water to Calangute and unplanned construction resulting in water shortage, Amonkar had told Herald during his campaign trail.
When contacted PWD Executive Engineer Works Div XVII Chavan said that there was no shortage.
“The problem is only for bulk users as we are trying our best from whatever resources we have,” he said.
Chavan said Porvorim as of today gets 15 MLD water and as per standards we are supplying double what is required by each person.
