VIJAYAWADA: Around this time last year, the Rural Water Supply and Sanitation Department supplied drinking water through tankers to about 2,500 villages in Chittoor district. Thanks to the improved water situation in the district, the number of villages getting tanker water has drastically come down.
In Anantapur district, which is ever under the shadow of drought, about 1,600 villages got tanker water supply last year. Now, there is no need to supply tanker water there. RWS officials attribute the comfortable situation to rise in water levels in reservoirs and tanks, besides recharged groundwater table.
“Heavy transportation of water used to be the norm in Prakasam, Chittoor, Anantapur, Kadapa and Nellore districts last year. Today, it is not the case. We are still continuing drinking water transportation to habitations in Prakasam and Chittoor, but the supply is marginally less. In Prakasam, we are supplying tanker water to 400 villages now as against 1,600 last year,” B Hare Ram Naik, chief engineer (PD, APDWSC), told TNIE.
To be on the safe side, the department, however, has submitted summer contingency plans worth Rs 109 crore, which is less than 50 per cent of the 2020 proposal. “We don’t want to be caught on the wrong foot. So we have submitted a proposal regarding transportation of drinking water to water-stressed habitations,” Naik added.
There is a reason for the department’s cautious approach despite the comfortable water situation in the rural areas. Nivar cyclone damaged RWS water distribution infrastructure, particularly in Nellore and Kadapa. The damage was estimated at Rs 11 crore. Though a report on the cyclone damage was submitted to the Centre, funds for the repair and restoration works are yet to be released.
Not waiting for the central funds, the RWS officials, with local funds, made temporary repairs so that there is no disruption in the distribution. “We are hoping the funds from the Centre are released at the earliest. Including the losses suffered during the Nivar cyclone, the total amount due from the Centre to the RWS department is around Rs 220 crore,” the chief engineer said.
Elaborating on the losses in Kadapa district, RWS superintending engineer Mallikarjunappa said every measures were taken to ensure that there are no problems in the distribution network. “It is a fact that water-levels, both groundwater and surface water, have increased, but technical problems arose due to Nivar. Though immediate measures had been taken to resolve them, we have submitted a summer action plan of Rs 13.15 crore,” he said.
Some villages, which could face drinking water problems during the summer months, were identified and measures are being taken to remedy the situation. In Kurnool district, which faces severe drinking water crisis during summer, the RWS officials said compared to last year, the situation is far better, thanks to copious rains.
Contingency plan worth reduced by half
In Anantapur district, which is ever under the shadow of drought, about 1,600 villages got tanker water supply last year. Now, there is no need to supply tanker water in the district. Also, the department has submitted summer contingency plans worth Rs 109 crore, which is less than 50 per cent of the 2020 proposals. Nivar cyclone damaged RWS water distribution infrastructure. The Centre, however, is yet to release Rs 220 crore to the department for restoration works.