PERNEM: With barely a 15MLD plant to cater to the taluka and with tourism activities on its coastal belt ever increasing, Pernem locals are facing their worst water shortage in recent years.Some of the most affected are the villages of Paliem and Keri where water is released only for one hour every alternate day, and nearly half a decade later locals harbour no hope that the authorities will ensure that their problem will be alleviated soon.Sangita Naik, who lives Paliem, one of the badly hit areas, says, “If there is some fault and one scheduled release of water does not happen, it means that we are without supply for three days. Some homes in the higher reaches don’t receive water for weeks.”Water shortage is also a big worry for the residents of Arambol, Morjim and Mandrem Rashmi Naik from Arambol, whose house is on a hill, says she has to get her water from a neighbour who lives at the bottom of the hill. “My child is small, but when it comes to choosing between dropping him off at the bus stop to catch the school bus and collecting water, I have to choose water,” Naik says, adding she does not even receive water on alternate days.It is difficult to tell for whom the problem is worse, the young mother or the septuagenarian widower from Paliem.“If sufficient water is not released, I have to manage with water from the spring which is about 400m away from my house. I cannot always beg for water from my neighbours. Till now I have somehow managed, I don’t know about the future,” Janabai Naik said. His only son lives in Mumbai.In Deulwada in Paliem, a group of local hit upon the novel idea of pouring water in a well in the ward to slow the pace at which it dries up in the summer. They contribute towards hiring a water tanker and then collectively source water from the well.“Progress on two water treatment projects planned for the taluka has been painfully slow,” said a local, adding that the shortage in Pernem’s coastal belt continues throughout the year, including during the monsoon.The increasing number of tourists in the area isn’t helping the problem either and has instead severely skewed the demand supply balance.Locals can no longer depend on well water to meet need for potable water as the water table has been destroyed by way of over tapping. The culprits, allege locals, are the large number of private bore wells dug by hotels in the area and moneyed locals.“While they have the financial strength to circumvent the shortage issue, what are the poor to do,” a source said, adding that the taluka’s economically backward are the worst hit.“The water table has been destroyed and they can neither use their wells nor afford to dig a bore well, which costs Rs 80,000,” he said.In this situation, the last two summers saw Pernem taluka facing its worst drinking water shortage yet, with water being released for a few minutes in a gap of two or three days.As if the shortage issue was not frustrating enough, locals allege the PWD operator in the area is lax in performing his duties.“There is a further artificial increase in the shortage as the operator does not pump the water into the tanks on time and then does not release it to the public on time, too,” a local said.Like in Calangute , locals of Pernem taluka also suspect foul play on the part of the PWD in diverting water to certain areas that have operations catering to the tourism industry.“Tendering process has been completed for augmentation of the Chandel plant by an additional 15MLD. The work order will be given within a month. Mandrem’s water woes will be addressed once Chandel’s capacity is enhanced to 30MLD,” PWD minister Ramkrishna Dhavalikar said.He said efforts are on to make the augmented plant operational this year itself, but locals still have harsh conditions to face in the upcoming summer season.A 20MLD plant at Tuem to resolve this shortage, too, is still in its nascent stages.

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