GUNTUR: In order to provide safe drinking water to every household and prevent water scarcity during the summer, Guntur Municipal Corporation (GMC) officials are gearing up to implement the SCADA (Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition) system.
The SCADA system can monitor tank levels, chemical levels, ultraviolet (UV) intensity, and environmental conditions, as well as pumps, valves, and filters. Remote monitoring of filtration plants allows managers to detect conditions requiring maintenance immediately without needing to send staff out on rounds.
This move came after one woman died and over 190 people fell ill due to alleged water contamination in a few colonies in the city in February. Civic chief Kirthi Chekuri informed that a special action plan is prepared, and proposals have been sent to the State government. As soon as we get a green signal from the government, the SCADA system will be implemented in the city.
With the city’s population reaching over 10 lakh, the total requirement of water per day in the city is 135 million litres (MLD), with a total of 155 MLD supplied, including 132 MLD from Undavalli Prakasam Barrage and 23.20 MLD from Sangam Jagarlamudi Kommamuru Canal to 43 reservoirs in 57 divisions in the city.
With the increasing population, providing uninterrupted water supply across the city has become a major challenge for the GMC. Along with this, GMC has also allotted Rs 37.02 crore for the supply of drinking water in the 2024-25 budget. As part of this, the municipal officials have taken up major pipeline repair works.
The 800 mm dia water pipeline, one of the major pipelines that supply water to the majority of areas in Guntur West Constituency including Lakshmipuram, Sthambalagaruvu, Gujjanagundla, AT Agraharam, Housing Board Colony, Court compound, KVP Colony, Vikas Nagar, Syamala Nagar, Hanumaiah Nagar.
The officials claimed that this would provide sufficient safe drinking water to the current population in the constituency.
The engineering department officials have been directed to visit all reservoirs, storage points along with main pipelines from Undavalli to Takkellapadu, and Sangam Jagarlamudi to MLR and take up any renovation works if necessary.