VISAKHAPATNAM : It was another sweltering afternoon on Monday though the temperature hovered around 32 degrees Celsius. A humidity of 85 per cent made the condition unbearable. Yet, a few villagers of Gambheeram village in Anandapuram mandal, 20 km away from the city, were out in the sun on the Gambheeram Gedda reservoir bed, scurrying for fish. The water body, intending to supply 2 million gallon per day (MGD) drinking water to the Port City, has gone dry, apart from some patches that resembled big puddles.
The authorities stopped drawing water from the reservoir a week ago with it hitting the dead storage level.
Water supply officials say that the reservoir is not a major drinking water source as it amounts only 0.6 per cent of the resources from which the Greater Visakhapatnam Municipal Corporation (GVMC) draws water for the city. According to GVMC Superintendent Engineer (water supply) S Ananda Rao, only 0.6 MGD is drawn from Gambheeram Gedda reservoir that too for six months. But, this year, it was used for more time, he says.
But, the ward number 4,5,6 in Madhurwada and PM Palem area which receive the Gambheera water is facing the heat. The locals here say they have not been receiving sufficient water since a month, notwithstanding the promise of the GVMC that it would follow the water supply schedule of last November across the summer. “In the last 20 days, we have not received drinking water for 15 days. The water we get is muddy, not fit for drinking,” Madhavi, a resident of Madhurawada says. “In March, we used to get water once in two days. But, we are now completely dependant on water cans,” she adds.
Power Cut Hits Water Supply
There was a serious confusion over the water supply on Sunday and Monday, after the city faced a power outage owing to the tripping of a 220 kv voltage transformer (CVT) at Kalapaka sub-station. Many areas did not receive water as per schedule, while many others it was delayed. GVMC SE Ananda Rao said that the issue had been addressed and there is no need to worry.