No drinking water to many villages on riverbank

Rajamahendravaram (East Godavari District): It is unfortunate that more than half of the population of Rajamahendravaram city is deprived of safe drinking water though the city is situated on the banks of Godavari river. The flow of the river is a feast for eyes only, but not to quench people's thirst.

Groundwater supplied by village panchayats in the name of protected water is the only source for a number of villages situated on the banks of Godavari or they have to buy water cans sold by private companies as RO water.

The process of purifying and supplying Godavari water to the households was allegedly limited to only Rajahmundry city or to a few wards. Godavari water is never supplied to suburban wards, villages on city outskirts and satellite colonies for drinking purpose.

The government had issued orders a few years ago to merge 10 villages of Rajahmundry rural mandal into the Corporation. These include Thorredu, Venkatanagaram, Katheru, Hukumpeta, Pidimgoyyi, Satellite City, Bommuru, Dowleswaram, Rajavolu and Vemagiri.

With this merger, the area of the corporation will increase from 44.5 sqkm to 100 sqkm and the population is expected to increase from 4 lakh to 6 lakh. But the Municipal Corporation is not able to supply Godavari water to all the wards and all the families in Rajahmundry city (the corporation area).

Rural Water Supply Corporation and other departments estimated that about 23 per cent of rural habitations in East Godavari district and more than 15 per cent of the areas in Rajahmundry city are facing severe drinking water problems in summer.

Chitturi Ramu of Thorredu said that the inclusion of villages in corporation has increased the financial burden of rural people but there is no supply of protected water supply under the corporation to these villages. He said that they depend on bore water for all daily needs in their area.

Rambabu, a retired employee from Dowleswaram and Srinivas, a labourer, alleged that Dowleswaram panchayat is supplying water from Godavari without treating it properly, hence they were forced to use bore well water.

A Comprehensive Protected Water Supply (CPWS) scheme with a capacity of 22 MLD was set up in Bommuru area to purify Godavari river water and supply drinking water to villages around Rajahmundry and under rural mandal. This works under Rural Water Supply (RWS) department.

Godavari raw water is being supplied to this centre from Dowleswaram barrage through a pipeline.

Speaking with The Hans India, Assistant Executive Engineer Srinivas said water is purified in this plant and sent to Bommuru, Rajavolu, Pidimgoyyi, Errakonda, Konda Gunturu, Hukumpet, Sampathanagaram, Bhupalapatnam, Velugubanda, Diwan Cheruvu, Palacharla and other villages under Rajahmundry rural and Rajanagaram mandals.

However, considering the scope and pumping capacity of this centre, this water is not enough to fulfil total needs of the respective Panchayats. In this situation, it seems that Godavari water is being distributed to public taps at one or two places in the respective villages only at specified times. Godavari water is supplied to 2,500 houses in Housing Board area under Lalacheruvu Panchayat. Proposals have been prepared to lay a pipeline for the rest. Godavari water is supplied only for two to three hours through two public taps to Konthamuru and Kolamuru. Municipal officials said that the MCR supplies about 70 million litres of water per day.

Speaking about drinking water problem in the villages surrounding Rajahmundry, Rajanagaram MLA Jakkampudi Raja said that Godavari water will be provided to the villages that are not covered by the corporation. Rajahmundry Water Grid is being established to provide Godavari water to every village in Rajahmundry rural and Rajanagaram constituencies, he added.