7 days in, PWD struggles to supply tankers in Tiswadi

PANAJI: PWD seriously fell short in salvaging the week long water scarcity situation in Tiswadi with citizens relying heavily on private tankers and neighbours goodwill.
Bookings for PWD tanker water crossed 700 on the seventh day of Tiswadi’s water crisis with tankers only able to cater to less than 300 of the requests.
People continued to book PWD tankers in desperation despite receiving no assurance from the PWD when the water would reach them.
With its supply of treated water at its Altinho exhausted and quota from Porvorim, Mapusa tanks over, the PWD was sending its tankers 40 kms away to Valpoi on Wednesday to bring water to Tiswadi.
Over the past few days it has also been sourcing water for especially for Goa Medical College all the way from Selaulim more than 60 kms away.
The PWD with two tankers in Panaji called for tankers from its Mapusa, Margao and Ponda offices. Including these five/ six tankers, it had around 30 tankers delivering water to Tiswadi.
Around ten to fifteen of these were being sent to GMC the citizens were told. TOI learnt that one tanker on its way to Tiswadi broke down at Porvorim on Thursday evening.
“We have enough tankers,” PWD officials assured the agitated citizens who came to the office questioning them why they couldn’t hire private tankers. “We have even hired private tankers, but we don’t have water,” they were told.
One senior citizen who came all the way from Ribandar who was 531 on the waiting list, pleaded for a tanker but was told that it was “next to impossible” to get a tanker on Wednesday evening. He was however conveyed the “the good news” that the pipeline was finally fixed, and that water would reach him by Thursday.
The situation at the PWD office in Panaji has been tense over the past few days with Tiswadi residents raising hell with the staff facing the brunt of it. Staff even received calls from Goans in the UK with requests to send tankers to their parents staying alone in Siridao.
Citizens complained that VIPs were receiving tankers on priority while they continued to wait for their turn to come up.
They were told that water supply would be normalized by Thursday but were also told that everybody in Tiswadi wouldn’t receive water in the morning but at the regular time they were receiving water before the problem arose.