KAKINADA: In view of the near heatwave situation prevailing in the district, the authorities have arranged to supply buttermilk and water to the pedestrians through distribution centres set up by the government, NGOs and local bodies. But many of these kiosks, called ‘chalivendrams’, allegedly serve the public only till twelve noon and, as a result, pedestrians braving the post midday sun go unattended.
According to information, the district has 10,340 chalivendrams, of which 7,286 are set up by the State government, 1,064 by NGOs and 1,994 by local bodies. Around 3.97 lakh ORS sachets are kept ready for distribution across the district. However, close to 70,000 ORS sachets were destroyed in a recent blaze at the central drug store.
As has already been mentioned, these buttermilk and water distribution centres work till 12 noon, allegedly, and as a result pedestrians face immense hardship post noon when they are unable to find water to drink along long stretches of roads in the district. A case in point is the incident that occurred on Sunday, when a women in Kakinada, who was out for shopping at 4pm, fell unconscious on the street due to the immense heat. Locals immediately took her to a cooler place and, after some rest, she got back to her feet. For the record, East Godavari is in the grip of a heatwave-like situation since May 25. On Sunday, mercury in Kakinada rose up to 43 degree Celsius.