PANAJI
The Central government implemented ‘Har Ghar Jal’ scheme in 2019 to provide drinking water in homes from the remote rural areas in the country, and Central as well as State governments together, would work on this scheme to provide water in every home, promised the Prime Minister Narendra Modi. However, many States have not been able to implement this scheme in an appropriate manner and hence, many rural areas are deprived of good drinking water supply.
One of these States is Goa, where people have to wait for water to come through the taps. The people from many areas in Goa complain of not being able to have an uninterrupted water supply in their homes, but it seems that the officials of the Water Supply Department as well as the PWD minister do not have time to look at these complaints or to resolve them. The locals complain that it is only during election time that these ministers visit with false promises, and never return thereafter to listen to their needs or fulfil them.
The Sanvardem constituency in South Goa has been suffering from water shortage problems for the past 25 years. Even the people living in the PWD minister Deepak Pauskar’s constituency, do not get a smooth supply of water. The villages like Guddemal, Ambeudak, Periudak, Murmgal, Karmane, Bandoli, Kuddegal, Devanamal, Dukarkon, Kale, Kasti in the Sanvardem constituency are still deprived of water. People have taps in their homes, yet they have to depend on tanker water. Currently, it is the Fomento Company that is supplying water via tankers in these areas, admit the locals.
The local populace demands that the State government should implement the ‘Har Ghar Jal’ scheme with urgency, to provide water for 24 hours in their homes. They complain that the government only speaks about providing water for 24 hours but those living in these villages do not get water even once, through their taps. “We have to only behold the pipeline and satiate our thirst, and give up hope to see water flowing through it someday,” lamented a senior citizen.
