Ponda: Upset over irregular water supply since December 2024, villagers from Tamdi Ghati and Vadbaag in Usgao, led by panch member Manisha Usgaonkar, staged a protest outside the Public Works Department (PWD) office in Ponda on Monday. Carrying empty utensils, they demanded a regular water supply.
The villagers alleged that neither PWD officials nor local MLA and Forest Minister Vishwajit Rane had addressed their concerns. They warned that if the situation remained unresolved, they would escalate their protest outside the Chief Minister’s residence.
During the protest, the villagers met PWD Assistant Engineer (AE) Kashinath Saraf, who assured them that the issue would be addressed at the earliest. He also promised that tanker water supply would be provided until the tap water supply was restored.
The villagers have given PWD an eight-day deadline.
Usgaonkar said the water supply issue had worsened over the past few months.
“Earlier, we used to get water for at least one to two hours a day, even if it was during the early hours. Now, the situation has deteriorated to the point where we can’t even fill a single utensil,” she said.
She criticised the government’s ‘Har Ghar Jal’ promise and demanded at least two hours of daily water supply for Usgao residents.
“If PWD cannot provide water through the Opa Water Works, they should dig borewells in our area. We are even willing to offer land for this, but we need water,” she said.
Women protesters also confronted the PWD engineer, blaming the MLA for neglecting their concerns. They urged the CM, who holds the PWD portfolio, to intervene.
When contacted, Saraf said his team would inspect the affected areas to identify the problem and take necessary action.
“In the meantime, we will arrange for tanker water supply until the issue is resolved,” he said.
