NELLORE: In a first in the State, Atmakur municipality, with the help of Adani Foundation, will offer drinking water after purifying it through reverse osmosis (RO), to the residents at their doorstep through an exclusive pipeline. The civic body will supply RO water at `5 for 20 litres under the ‘RO water direct to home’ programme.
Adani has been maintaining the pipeline and draws water from river Penna with the support of Atmakur municipality. The residents must get a prepaid card, which can be recharged, to avail the service. The civic body has also planned 60 centres in the town where RO water can be bought. Atmakur MLA and Industries Minister Mekapati Goutham Reddy will inaugurate the new drinking water scheme on October 30. According to data, the town is home to a population of 30,556, out of which 15,286 are men and 15,270 women.
“RO water will now be supplied to the residents, and the equipment will be provided by Adani. The municipality provided water and a place for setting up the RO plant in the town to the Adani Foundation, which will maintain the pipeline. Water will be drawn directly from Penna river, and treated in the RO plant,” said M Ramesh Babu, Atmakur civic chief.
IIT-Kharagpur has provided the technical support to Adani Foundation in generating the prepaid cards, and also in supplying water at doorstep. Once the card is recharged, the residents may swipe it on the machine to be provided to them to get the RO water. For installation of the pipeline, a deposit of `1,500-`2,000 is required. The civic body is expecting at least 3,000 households that will avail the scheme.