Panaji: The Department of Drinking Water (DDW) has submitted its compliance note to the Goa Human Rights Commission (GHRC), detailing measures taken to improve water-supply services, grievance redressal and public awareness among consumers.
In its compliance note, the DDW said it is responsible for planning, designing, executing and maintaining drinking-water supply projects across rural and urban areas. It said the ‘PWD GOA’ mobile application is operational as a citizen-centric, real-time GIS-based platform for PWD and Drinking Water services, with around 5,398 citizens onboarded so far.
“The application provides a single-window interface through which citizens can report drinking-water supply problems, leakages and other grievances. Consumers can upload the location and photographs of an issue, track its status and receive feedback after the complaint is resolved,” said the department.
It has also proposed using the application to inform consumers about water-supply breakdowns, emergency shutdowns
and preventive maintenance schedules, enabling residents to receive information about disruptions in their locality.
A 24×7 helpline has also been made available through dedicated mobile numbers, in addition to the application. The department has further said public-awareness material will be circulated to water-supply consumers along with water bills through meter readers. The meter readers will also be advised to briefly explain the material during their visits.
The compliance note also covers the integration of road-cutting permission and online payment facilities into the digital system. Applicants can submit requests, track applications and make payments without physically visiting government offices. These services have also been integrated with the Goa Online portal under the State’s Ease of Doing Business framework.
The department said the existing PWD GOA interface has been retained following the formation of the Department of Drinking Water to ensure “uninterrupted public service delivery, operational stability, and continued single-window compliance”.