Various parts of Salcete taluka are reeling under problems of acute water shortage for months. As per the proclamations made by the state government and PWD in the past, Salcete should have received 24 hour water supply as early as 2014 and while promises are still being made, the ground realities have not improved.
Currently Salcete taluka receives 70 MLD from the 185 MLD Selaulim water treatment plant. Areas like Loutolim, Benaulim, Velim, Colmorod, Curtorim, Aquem and neighbouring areas are suffering in particular. The Selaulim water treatment plant currently supplies water to Mormugao, Salcete, Quepem and parts of Sanguem.
In Colmorod that is part of Margao constituency and near Navelim constituency, locals recently came on to the streets after having faced a water shortage for over three months.
COLMOROD
In Colmorod, the issue worsened after the constant rupturing of water pipelines due to ongoing work by JICA contractors and over 2000 residents had to bear the brunt of it. Given the age of the pipeline, restoration work is not the solution and instead, quick fix solutions are used but they are only temporary and lead to frequent breakdowns in water supply.
Former Colmorod councillor, Savio Coutinho pointed out that in the past, they had to make arrangements for water tankers to solve the immediate water requirements.
Present councillor, Sheikh Jaffer also questioned why every time arrangements have to be made through water tankers and questioned why the government is not attending to the situation regarding damaged water pipelines, given that residents have been forced to bear the brunt for nearly 120 days.
In places like Aquem and Chandrawaddo in Fatorda, there is the issue of low water supply and PWD officials said that they cannot increase the water pressure without risking damage to the pipelines which are old and can get ruptured.
This is the same problem experienced at Loutolim, Monte Hill, Cavota, Rassaim, Vanzem where residents have been suffering from no water supply and low water pressure and the PWD officials claim that they are helpless due to the conditions of the water pipelines. Institutions like Shanti Avendra Ashram suffer the most as they require water to be supplied through tankers as the pipeline is weak and often bursts under pressure.
LOUTOLIM
Loutolim Panchayat officials pointed out that recently a meeting was held with the MLA and the PWD engineers where the department was asked to map the areas that require urgent attention and to inform them of the proposal to replace the old pipelines.
CURTORIM
In Curtorim, the village of Rachol has certain areas that do not receive water supply at all. Rachol Sarpanch, Joseph Vaz lamented that the government failed to respond to repeated pleas. He went on to say that the remaining areas get water supply but with low pressure so there was a need for immediate action as it was not isolated to one or two wards. The frequent shutdowns at the water treatment plant for maintenance has only accentuated the issues in this constituency with the residents of Curtorim village including the priests recently calling on the PWD department after there was drastic shortage in water supply.
Incidentally, the neighbouring areas of Camorlim, Raia and even Gogol up ahead and Fatorda have been receiving muddy water through their taps and the PWD has not taken action even after samples of the contaminated water was shown to them.
VELIM
In Velim constituency, there have been complaints from high altitude areas in Velim and Ambelim, where villagers have pointed out that they don’t receive water for hours at a stretch.
Velim MLA, Benjamin Silva said the matter had been taken up with the concerned departments and that two water pipelines are being laid from Balli to Velim and another water pipeline is being laid from St Sebastian Chapel, Chinchinim to Assolna which should solve the problem.
BENAULIM
In Benaulim, there has been a similar situation where the work on the laying of a water pipeline through JICA has been delayed for months and it has also led to the damage of key parts of the road that have simply added to the woes of the public. “We have had no water supply for days now. Earlier it was the issue of water pressure and then for hours every day there would be no water supply. This creates heavy stress as we have to deal with emergencies everyday and plan how to use water, given the constant shortage,” said Benaulim resident, Konrad Rodrigues.
The PWD officials feel that the issue is with the tail end areas and that it is only due to the summer when there has been a drop in water pressure and that they are in the process of installing booster pumps in various places. Residents of Baradi village in Velim point out that they have to wake up early in the morning as they get water from 4.30 to 5.30 am and otherwise have no option but to walk down to the foothills where there is a public tap. They criticised the lethargic attitude of the government knowing fully well that the tail end users at the elevated terrain are the ones who suffer the most.
PWD department officials reasoned that after the commissioning of the 100 MLD water treatment transmission from Sirvoi to Verna and 20,000 cu m Master Balancing reservoir at Sirvoi, a population of about 3.5 lakh from 83,700 households of Sanguem, Quepem, Salcete and Mormugao talukas will benefit. PWD minister, Sudin Dhavalikar added that central government funds had been sanctioned for replacing the old piplines in Salcete and once the project is completed, the old PSC water pipelines will be replaced with MS pipelines. Following that, there should not be water supply issues in Salcete for the next 15-20 years and the taluka would receive round the clock water.
PWD officials also added that the PWD hires the tankers with the government paying those who supply the water whenever there is a crisis like water shortage due to water pipeline issues or at the water treatment plant.
