MARGAO: The Directorate of Health Services (DHS) has confirmed that several Public Works Department (PWD) water sources in Agonda are unfit for human consumption, according to documents obtained under the Right to Information (RTI) Act. Testing conducted on samples from five different sites revealed contamination, raising concerns about the safety of water supplied to residents of Agonda and Khola.
Congress member and activist Janardhan Bhandari, who had previously lodged a complaint against PWD officials for supplying contaminated water, criticised the police for delaying action on his complaint, which sought to hold three PWD (Water Supply) officers accountable for the distribution of contaminated water.
The DHS’s Environmental and Pollution Control Wing analysed the water samples following a directive from the Canacona police. Samples were collected from the Water Storage Cement Tank and Water Filtration Tank at Parvem-Betul (Agonda), Mudkud Hill Top Water Plant Tank (Agonda), Shelop Water Plant (Khola), and Paryekhatta–Matvemol Water Plant (Khola). The tests revealed that the water from the Parvem-Betul sources did not meet the standards for drinking water and was deemed unfit for consumption.
The DHS report confirmed that the water in the Parvem-Betul Water Storage Cement Tank and Water Filtration Tank “could not be recommended for human consumption,” while the other sites met standards only after assessing bacteriological purity. However, all five samples were contaminated by Coliform organisms, making the water unsafe for drinking.
Bhandari, who obtained the test reports through RTI, emphasised the urgency of the situation. In view of the fact that Canacona leads the State amongst the highest number of patients with kidney ailments in a taluka, this issue needs to be examined thoroughly, stressed locals.
