Ponda: Residents of Kerya in the Curti-Khandepar panchayat said the village has been facing a severe water shortage for nearly six months despite being located about 500 metres from the Opa water treatment plant. They warned of a protest outside the Water Supply Department office at Daag if regular drinking water supply is not restored immediately.
Addressing the media on Sunday, villagers said repeated representations to the Public Works Department (PWD) had failed to restore uninterrupted tap water.
“Officials have been citing pending pipeline work for several months, but no visible progress has been made,” said the villagers, adding that they have been forced to fetch water from a pond inside a forested area.
They said that gaurs have been frequently sighted in this forested area and that this has made the task of fetching water risky, particularly for women and senior citizens. “It is unfortunate that people living next to the Opa water treatment plant are struggling to access drinking water,” said social activist Sandeep Parkar.
He said Chief Minister Pramod Sawant had recently acknowledged Ponda’s water crisis during the Janata Darbar and assured that it would be resolved within six months. However, Kerya residents were unaware of the programme and could not place their grievances before the Chief Minister.
The villagers demanded immediate completion of the pending pipeline work and restoration of regular water supply, warning that they would intensify their agitation if their demands continued to be ignored.
