Crass act
A law enacted to check the illegal sale of water in villages located in the northern parts of Goa has proved to be a damp squib. Tanker operators are openly flouting the state's Groundwater Regulation Act, which was passed in 2002 and notified in 2003.
The main objective of the regulation was to curb the sale of water in areas such as Saligao and Pilerne villages. These two scenic regions of coastal north Goa lie off the water-stressed tourism belt, and have been milked dry by the water mafia. They have witnessed large-scale groundwater extraction for over a decade because of the burgeoning demand spawned by mushrooming industrial estates on parched hilltops and hotel chains along the coast, along with the overall urban sprawl.
As Goa experiences abundant annual rainfall (up to 100 inches), villagers traditionally fall back on wells to meet their water needs. But local people say that the water shortage has been severe during the past two years due to poor monsoons in the state. Against this backdrop, unscrupulous tanker operators have compounded the crisis by drawing and selling millions of litres of water from villagers' wells. Worse still they continue to do so, notwithstanding the recently enforced law. Their task is made easier since most villagers are unaware of the legislation.
Appallingly, the concerned authorities feign ignorance about the illegal activity. "Are they selling water again?' asks an official with characteristic insouciance. In fact, instead of taking action against the culprits, the state government seems to be waiting for the people to complain. "We get reports of water being extracted early morning and late at night. The people are not well-versed with the rules and some neighbours are not coming forward (with complaints),' claims Jagdish S Hosamani, groundwater officer of north Goa.
Officials maintain that they have given notices to some illegal operators and seized "one or two' water tankers. "But we have to catch them red-handed because we need hard evidence,' asserts Hosamani. He reveals that around 24 tanker owners