SANGAREDDY: Officials have intensified efforts to manage drinking water supply across the district to prevent incidents of water contamination, like the recent one in Sanjeevraopet of Narayankhed mandal. Measures such as cleaning water tanks in all villages three times a month, conducting regular sanitation drives, spraying bleaching powder and ensuring the proper functioning of rural employees have been initiated.
In Sanjeevraopet, due to repairs in the Mission Bhagiratha water supply pipeline, authorities reportedly supplied water from an old well. This purportedly led to nearly 30 people falling ill and two fatalities. In response, two Assistant Engineers (AEs) and the village secretary were suspended.
District Collector Valluru Kranthi has issued instructions to prevent such situations from recurring anywhere in the district. She emphasised that village secretaries in rural areas must monitor daily sanitation and drinking water supplies, while officials should oversee their performance. The collector also directed special officers to submit monthly reports detailing the actions taken during their visits to the villages.
Kranthi emphasised that special officers must not treat their village visits as a formality. Instead, they should plan their inspections systematically, deciding in advance which works to monitor and ensuring all tasks are thoroughly inspected. In a recent meeting, she advised village officials to ensure that drinking water and sanitation duties are performed effectively by the village secretaries and staff. If any deficiencies are found, they should be immediately addressed.
It has been mandated that water tanks in the villages be cleaned and chlorinated at least three times a month to maintain hygiene. Alongside providing clean drinking water in rural areas, the collector also instructed officials to inspect government schools.