RAJAMAHENDRAVARAM: Despite the Godavari River flowing alongside the region, thousands of residents across East Godavari district continue to face the risk of contaminated drinking water due to an ageing and poorly maintained water supply network.
Frequent pipeline leakages, inadequate monitoring and delayed repairs have turned a basic civic service into a potential public health hazard.
In Rajamahendravaram, the urban water supply network extends over 465 km, with the authorities replacing nearly 30 km of main pipelines in recent years.
However, the remaining decades-old underground pipelines continue to deteriorate under increasing traffic pressure, leading to repeated bursts and contamination.
Water supply lines running close to drainage channels further increase the risk of sewage mixing with drinking water.
The consequences of poor maintenance became evident three years ago when a damaged pipeline at Alcot Gardens contaminated the water supply, triggering a diarrhoea outbreak that affected around 300 people and claimed two lives.
Although the authorities conducted special medical camps for nearly two months, residents say they have not resolved the underlying problem.
The Urban Local Body spends more than `15 lakh annually on repairing leaks, yet safe drinking water remains elusive for many households.
The city has nearly 48,000 tap connections and 38 slum localities, many of which remain vulnerable to contamination.
RMC Superintending Engineer K Reeta said the civic body would not compromise on pipeline maintenance and would maintain a 24/7 vigil across the city to ensure uninterrupted drinking water supply and proper upkeep of the network.
She said the authorities would overhaul the entire pipeline system in view of the Godavari Pushkarams.