VALPOI
Several parts of Sattari taluka were also affected by the power disruption at the Bicholim power substation, causing major inconvenience to residents for over 15 hours. The power outage also affected the Dabos water project, leaving taps dry in nearly 70 per cent of Sattari taluka.
The incident has renewed demands for an alternative power supply system for the region, as the breakdown at the Bicholim substation exposed the weakness of the existing arrangement. Residents said that whenever the power supply from Bicholim is disrupted, the entire Sattari taluka is plunged into darkness.
Although electricity supply was restored in the evening, officials said it would take more time for water supply to return to normal as the pipelines had emptied completely. It reportedly takes nearly eight hours for the pipelines to refill. As a result, several areas are likely to continue facing drinking water shortages until Saturday morning. Residents also expressed disappointment over the lack of a dedicated generator facility for the Dabos water project despite repeated demands over the past decade. According to locals, if generator backup had been available, the water supply system would have continued operating despite the power outage in Bicholim. Meanwhile, hotel owners in Valpoi town also suffered heavy losses due to the prolonged power outage, as food items stored in refrigerators were damaged.
