Kakinada: Inadequate supply of drinking water worries people

Kakinada: The Kakinada Municipal Corporation (KMC) is supplying water only in the morning for two hours and people are not able to get adequate water for their domestic consumption. People are suffering due to lack of drinking water and the supply of water in Kakinada Smart City for short duration in the morning is resented by the people.

Certain people are not able to get water in view of the motor connection installed to municipal taps. And people who do not have motor connections, are deprived of the regular supply of water and they are bitterly complaining against the non-availability of water.

The KMC will supply drinking water only once a day from March 30 onwards in the city. The canals will be closed for two months from April 1 as part of the efforts to expedite the Polavaram project works. Previously, the canals used to be closed for 45 days. In those days, the KMC could supply water twice a day during the summer. There are two reservoirs --Mahashi Bulusu Sambamurthy reservoir at Samalkot and Aratlakatta reservoir to supply the raw water from River Godavari canal.

In certain areas, water supply is stopped due to leakage of water. Residents of Jagannaickpur, Vidyutnagar, Karangari junction and adjacent areas are facing a lot of hardship due to non-supply of water by the municipal authorities. People are complaining as they are deprived of supply of water just because they don't have motor connection to the taps. They are not getting water despite regular payment of taxes to the municipality. The untold suffering of people during every summer has become a regular phenomenon and municipal authorities are insensitive to the woes of the public by not supplying water to those who don't have motor connection to the taps.

Hemavathi, a resident of Kakinada questioned why steps are not being taken against those having motor connection to the taps. The municipal authorities immediately stop water supply to those who keep motor connections to the municipal taps. People are resorting to the purchase of water at RO plants in the Smart City. In view of the helpless situation, RO plants are exploiting the common people who are deprived of water.

District Collector D Muralidhar Reddy said that due to the construction of the Polavaram project, people should save the water and use it carefully. He said that the people should use the water by flowing saving methods during the summer.

He said that the people should use the water without wasting and they should drink only purified water. Recently, the Collector held a meeting with officials and suggested to the irrigation officials to find ways to release water from River Godavari till April 10 for filling up the drinking water ponds and reservoirs to meet the summer needs. Smart City CEO and MD and KMC Commissioner Swapnil Dinakar Pundkar said that steps have been taken as the canals are being closed for two months. He appealed to the people to avoid using drinking water for other purposes.