AP: Summer worsens water woes in agency regions

Vijayawada/Rajamahendravaram/Vizainagaram: Whenever people get vacation, they prefer to visit nearby forest regions and hill slopes to enjoy the sight of mountain laden with misty clouds searching for greener pastures to relax and recharge, escaping the noisy concrete jungles.

However, when we pay special attention to the living conditions of tribals, one may be surprised to know that people living in the hilly region are still forced to fetch a pot of water from oozing pits and dried up hill streams trekking one or two kilometres. In some interior places of agency areas in the state, it is a common sight of women seen fetching water from more than one or two km in hilly region despite purported existence of several schemes by both Central and state governments. Take the example of members of Kondu tribe living in Neredubanda village, a suburb of Gaduthuru panchayat, G Madugula mandal of Alluri Sitarama Raju district who are still struggling to find drinking water. Around 60 people living in this small hill village are forced to walk for more than a km on the rugged path in search of drinking water.

These tribal women are bringing water in bowls from small ponds and hill streams, which is a regular practice. Their water woes multiply during summer and the villagers are falling sick often after drinking this impure water. The Central and state governments organised campaigns extensively during Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav that there should be no village without drinking water and about giving tap connections to every village through the Jal Jeevan Mission. But the these schemes failed to reach the water-starved Neredubanda village so far. No matter how many times they complained to the district officials and the ITDA project officer about drinking water problem, nothing happened. The worst thing is that if they fall sick, they have to be carried on a doli for 15 kilometre to Kothakota primary health centre. This is not a problem of this tribal village alone, several other tribal villages are also facing similar water problems without catching the attention of people, especially officials, living in plain regions.

In Agency region of Parvathipuram district too, people are experiencing acute drinking water problem. The tribals of Geddaguda hamlet in Jaragada panchayat are struggle to fetch drinking water and with multiplying water woes during summer season. Generally, the people of the village depend on oozing pits to collect drinking water. People are forced to fetch water walking more than a kilometre from pits near agricultural fields. To top it all, people living in villages near largest fresh water Kolleru were also forced to get drinking water crossing Upputeru in boats in the past despite living amidst a huge water body spread for miles together. Now the situation has changed with increasing water business and mushrooming RO plants in some villages. People are habituated to purchase drinking water from RO plants and carry in plastic tins in Autorickshaws and motorcycles.

However, a small number of women are still fetching water from neighbouring West Godavari district which now comes under Eluru district. Villagers of Pedakottada used to bring water from Siddapuram village of Eluru district by crossing Upputeru in boats.

The Jangampadu villagers used to fetch water from Dumpagadda. During the TDP government, a pipeline was laid at a stretch of 9 kilometres to supply drinking water to the Kolleru island villagers.

However, it is said that the pipeline is not working properly and people are suffering due lack of water for cooking and drinking.