KAKINADA: Even after 72 years of India’s independence, AK Mallavaram, a hamlet in Gollaprolu Mandal of East Godavari district, still does not have proper drinking water facility.
People here are dependant on untreated water from a local pond, polluted and filled with moss, for drinking purposes.
The locals said they had to store water, drawn from the pond, in a container for at least two days so that its pungent smell goes away.
The AK Mallavaram residents protested in front of the Collectorate here on Monday. They submitted a petition to Collector Kartikeya Misra and requested him to solve the issue immediately. Further, the RWS and revenue officials have been instructed to look into the issue.
The protesters said the Rural Water Supply (RWS) department had built a tank from where the unfiltered water was supplied to people’s houses through public taps. Some were able to afford to purify their water at a private RO treatment plant, nearby the village, while others consumed it in its untreated form. Close to the Pitapuram village, AK Mallavaram has a population of 4,902 with 1,384 households, according to the 2011 Census.
Though the residents are dependant on water from the pond for the last 25 years, panchayat officials cited lack of funds to be the reason behind no water treatment plant for the village. Meanwhile, the villagers said 25 years ago, the pond water was safe to drink as it was clean and unpolluted. However, as the years went by, it has become polluted.
No water treatment plant in the region
The protesters said the Rural Water Supply (RWS) department had built a tank from where the unfiltered water is supplied to people’s houses through public taps.
Some were able to afford to purify their water at a private RO treatment plant, nearby the village, while others consumed it in its untreated form