VIJAYAWADA: Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu on Monday directed officials to take proactive measures to prevent a drinking water crisis in the State amid severe drought conditions triggered by the El Niño phenomenon.
He asked them to continuously monitor the drought situation and assess water availability in reservoirs and other sources to ensure an uninterrupted drinking water supply.
Chairing a review meeting on the functioning of various departments at the RTGS Centre in the Secretariat, Naidu directed officials to effectively utilise floodwaters entering the Krishna basin from upstream regions through proper water management. He also cautioned that prolonged drought conditions could lead to a shortage of cattle fodder and instructed the departments concerned to take advance measures to address the issue.
The Chief Minister stressed the need for frequent drinking water quality tests in both urban and rural areas and directed officials to make laboratory test reports public. He also instructed them to conduct field inspections and regularly monitor Anganwadi centres.
Officials informed the Chief Minister that rainfall in the upstream catchment areas is expected to improve water availability in the Krishna basin. They said inflows into the Krishna River had increased in recent days and also briefed him on the prevailing flood situation in the Godavari River.
Observing that there was a possibility of fodder scarcity in the coming days due to the lack of rainfall, the Chief Minister asked officials to take the necessary measures to tackle the situation. Officials also briefed the Chief Minister on the Transport Department’s reform agenda.
Chief Secretary K Sai Prasad attended the meeting.