Parched times for tribals

No water even for cattle, let alone for crops in Adilabad villages

Adilabad: Even as the summer is beginning to onset, people living in 14 habitats of Khandala village are reeling under acute drinking water crisis, let alone bathing and flushing toilets.

Contrary to official claims of supplying drinking water through tankers, the response from authorities to drinking water woes is almost zero. The villagers allege that the contractors are drawing bills without supplying water to them.

A resident, Bapu Rao, went on record that he and fellow villagers did not bathe for the past one week because of the scarcity. Womenfolk of the village who have been waiting patiently near the open wells are drawing water as and when water appears.

A villager, Rukmabai, said with pain writ large on her face that getting three pitchers of water is not guaranteed even after waiting patiently for six hours near the wells.

Sakkubai of Salaiguda said that the there was no use how hard one tries to get water out of the hand pump, which had gone dry. She said that the hands are paining and intestines are hurting for prolonged use of the hand pump.

The women are trekking long distances up to 2 km daily to fetch a pail of water. The lucky among them are able to get water from agriculture wells, says a woman from the village, Sumati.

As a result of their preoccupation with fetching water, the women have to forego their wages. A tribal, Lachchu Naik, stated that people of Molalugutta, Potaguda-2 and Harijanaguda are fetching drinking water on bullock-carts from far off places.

He breathed fire on officials for not resolving chronic drinking water problem, which they are experiencing for the past 40 years. The cattle are made to walk at least five km to make them drink water.

The worst affected are the inmates of the boys’ hostel at Pothuguda. The bore well on the premises has gone dry. The water purifier is remaining idle at the hostel for want of water. Not a single bucket of water is available for the inmates to have a bath. One of the students, Maruti, said that he had not bathed for the past five days. Another student, Lachchman, said the inmates are defecating in the open as there is no water to flush the toilets.

However, school headmaster Pramod Kumar said that he is requisitioning a drum of water spending Rs 200 daily on bullock-carts for cooking purpose. Sanitation worker Srinivas said that the toilets were left without cleaning for the past one week.

The rural water supply department launched water supply through tankers. From the very next day onwards, the tankers were stopped for reasons better known to contractors, who are alleged to have been drawing bills up to Rs 15 lakh with the help of fake documents.

Bore wells have been sunk in the village spending Rs 9 lakh, but of no use. People of Agency villages of Utnoor, Indravelli, Kerameri, Jainoor, Sirpur-U and Narnoor are facing problems and drawing water from streams.

Adivasi Hakkula Sangham leader Madavi Bhujanga Rao said that the tribals were forced to drink water which is fit enough for only cattle to drink.