Mapusa: Several areas in Bardez, including Mapusa, have been facing a water shortage for the past three days. The sudden disruption in supply has led to a high demand for water tankers, which are in limited availability.
The issue arose when raw water from the Tillari canal was stopped due to a breach, preventing the Assonora treatment plant, which supplies water to Bardez taluka, from receiving the necessary raw water. Sources from the PWD department said that raw water from the Amthane dam was released on Monday evening and will be treated overnight, with water expected to be supplied on Tuesday.
The Tillari canal breached at Kudasa on Friday, halting the flow of raw water to the treatment plant.
Mapusa residents voiced their frustration, highlighting the inconvenience caused by the lack of water supply over the past three days. Parts of Porvorim were also badly hit as taps went dry. Residents said that the tank near JMJ Hospital which supplies water to Porvorim and parts of Socorro went dry. Water tankers have not been responding to calls and there is short supply, said another resident. “There is no news of any helpline for us to call and get some water,” said another resident who said he didn’t get water for the last two days.
PWD officials clarified that not the entire taluka was affected, as water was still available in the pipeline for low-lying areas such as Tivim, parts of Calangute, and Aldona. However, the impact was more severe in hilly areas like Mapusa, which require higher water pressure, as well as in tail-end areas like Siolim, Saligao.
“Typically, when there is no supply from the Tillari canal, we source raw water from the Amthane dam. However, the dam’s gate failed to open, causing a delay in our efforts to restore the water supply,” said a PWD Executive Engineer.
As a last resort, the PWD has started pumping raw water from the Sal River. “We expect to restore water supply to the most affected areas by late tonight,” he said.
