Margao: Residents of Cuncolim have demanded that the Goa State Pollution Control Board (GSPCB) conduct comprehensive testing of well water in the area, alleging that groundwater contamination has plagued the town and the adjoining villages for over 25 years and continues to affect more than 5,000 people living within a 2-km radius of the Cuncolim industrial estate.The villagers, led by social activist Aviraj Dessai, have called on the GSPCB to test the water of all wells in the village and make the results public within two months. They have also urged leader of opposition and Cuncolim MLA Yuri Alemao to intervene and press govt to compensate affected families or provide them free piped drinking water.“The villagers have been suffering from this issue since 1995, soon after the Cuncolim industrial estate was set up,” Dessai said. “We demand that the GSPCB test the water of all the wells in the village, as we fear the groundwater has been contaminated. The board should make the test reports public and declare whether the water is safe for consumption. If it is not, govt should compensate the people or provide free piped drinking water to the affected families.”However, villagers pointed out that a shift to public water supply would bring its own set of problems. “Relying on tap water will mean more hardship, as the supply is restricted to barely a couple of hours a day,” said a resident.
