Water may flow tonight; repairs almost end

Ponjekars struggle on Day 5,Reports of fights in some areas ,Water tankers in high demand

| AUGUST 20, 2019, 02:28 AM IST

the goan I network

PANAJI

Even as the capital city reeled under the severe water crisis since Independence day, supply through taps in homes is expected to be gradually restored by Tuesday night but pressure will be low, according to Principal Chief Engineer of the Public Works Department (PWD) U P Parsekar.  

Addressing the media in his office at the PWD headquarters in Altinho, Parsekar said that while the welding of the 900 mm pipeline, which was dislocated, would be complete by Monday night, the pipeline would need to be set with concrete, and kept for a while before water from Opa was released little by little.   

“The concerns about the water crises is genuine. We will need to release the water little by little once the concrete has set. Water will come in taps by Tuesday night in low pressure, not full pressure,” said Parsekar.   

The 900 mm pipeline would be fixed by Monday night, he said, and later, the PWD would focus on the 750 mm pipeline. “We are also making provisions to see that the situation won’t repeat in the future. We will keep an alternative ready as well so that people don’t suffer next time,” Parsekar said.   

Meanwhile, Parsekar said that the PWD had made provisions for additional water tankers for the capital city to tide people over till the crisis ends.   

The water situation in the capital city went from bad to worse on Monday with people fighting for water from the water tankers.   

One of the residents of Panjim who is wheelchair-bound and lives on his own told “The Goan” that there was a big fight in his colony at 7.30 last evening when the water tanker arrived. He himself was unable to go to work for two days due to the crisis.   

“I couldn’t bathe for the last two days, so did not feel comfortable going to work. I am staying alone so it’s not possible to get water to the house. I did manage to get drinking water but none at all to bathe,” he said.   

Another resident of the city said that he had to get a private water tanker to fill his tank, as there were too many people waiting for the PWD water tankers. “I paid a private tanker Rs 1,000 but that also was not simple. We had to beg and plead with them to bring us water,” he said. “Even though we had our 3,000 liter tank filled, the water is now almost over. The situation is bad,” he added.   

Some educational institutions in the city also faced the brunt of the situation, with Disha Charitable Trust’s school for special children remaining shut today (Tuesday.) An official from the school said, “The children faced a tough time, as there was no water in the toilets, and no water tankers came to the rescue. Private tankers say they have orders till tomorrow. It was a desperate situation,” the official said.   

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