SRIKAKULAM: The Yerra family of Sahalalaputtuga in Kaviti mandal lost their 25-year-old son Jogulu a week ago. Jogulu, the sole breadwinner of the family, succumbed to chronic kidney diseases (CKD) in his prime, leaving his dear ones in dire straits.
“Not only Jogulu, as many as 16 people from this village have died of CKD in the last one year and more than 25 have contracted the infections. Since a year, the officials have been promising that we would get soon the supply of mineral water. But, it is yet to be materialised,” laments Baddai Dayanidhi, a resident of Sahalalaputtuga.
Not only Kaviti mandal, but six more mandals in Uddanam have been haunted by the mysterious renal ailments since two decades.
After Jana Sena chief Pawan Kalyan ruffled quite a few feathers over the issue last year, the government has proposed to supply purified drinking water to the affected villages as the high presence of silica in the drinking water sources in Uddanam is being dubbed as the cause of the mysterious prevalence of kidney ailments.
As part of the move, the government decided to set up RO plants to supply water to vulnerable villages for which mother water plants were planned in the seven affected mandals of Palasa, Kaviti, Kanchili, Vajrapukottoru, Sompeta, Ichchauram and Mandasa.
A fund of `17 crore was also allocated. Entrusting the works to the NTR Trust, the government had said that the Kuppam model would be followed to ensure supply of safe drinking water. The local Rural Water Supply (RWS) officials set up a deadline of Ugadi (March-end) last year for the project but failed. Then the officials blamed it on technical glitches.
Rural development minister N Lokesh inaugurated the project on September 18 too and water was to be supplied at `2 per can. The officials even conducted a trial run at Palasa. But, the water supply is yet to take off.
Already, 13,000 people have been found with higher serum creatinine levels, during the screening drive conducted in more than 125 villages in Uddanam mandals between February and April last year. As the residents continue to suffer, they say that the project has been dragged too long.
Water scheme details
RO (reverse osmosis) water to affected villages proposed as high silica presence in Uddanam water sources is being dubbed as the cause of the mysterious prevalence of renal ailments
Govt has proposed mother water plants in seven affected mandals
J17 cr allocated and works given to NTR Trust
Water was to be supplied at J2 per can to the CKD affected villages