Team Herald
PANJIM: Days after the recent water contamination in the pipelines of the capital city of Panjim, residents especially from Swami Vivekananda Road area have demanded water testing by the Health Department in a bid to find out if the water is suitable for consumption.
“For the past few days, we are facing several water-related problems. We fear that the sewage water somehow may have entered the water pipeline due to which we had to clean tanks. The water still smells of sewage. Fresh water was released on Sunday by the PWD. We want the Health Department to conduct a test to see whether the water is suitable for drinking,” said a local resident, who house is situated on Swami Vivekananda Road in Panjim.
However, the PWD had stated that repair works of leaking water pipelines have been completed at the Dr Atmaram Borkar Road in Panjim.
Speaking to Herald, PWD Minister Sudin Dhavalikar said, “The repair works of the leaking and creaky water pipelines have been completed and water testing work is in process. It was brought to my notice that all the connections from the main line which have gone to the residents’ houses have been corroded and I think respective house owners should replace these lines.”
It was also revealed that of two pipelines under the Dr Atmaram Borkar Road, PWD inspectors found one of the pipelines to be in a critical condition and if no action is taken soon, contaminated water would also reach 18 June Road and M.G. Road.
The residents have also said that the Health Department should immediately conduct a test in order to check the water if it is suitable for various uses.
“We should be sure if the water is safe for drinking as we use the water for cooking and bathing. If by mistake, we consume it, we can fall ill, so we have to be 100 per cent confident that the water is safe for drinking purposes,” said a resident.
It may be recalled that a similar incident took place near the EDC house in Panjim which was rectified soon. Recently, the PWD workers were also seen working hard to repair the affected line in the last 10 days and also to identify the source of contamination.
