Gallons of water goes down drains in Kakinada

Kakinada: Leakage in the drinking water pipelines that remains unattended for a few months have resulted in wastage of many lakhs litres of water in Kakinada Smart City.

People demand for the immediate repairs relating to leakage in order to get the full supply of water without any hindrance.

Psychologist APJ Vinu told 'The Hans India' that water pipes which were laid just three years ago as part of Smart City project started leaking at many places. It shows low quality work of contractors and inefficient supervision of Kakinada Municipal Corporation (KMC) and Smart City officials. In many cases, the works were entrusted to contractors who were not skilled, and bills were passed.

He said that within a few days, because of the low-quality works the pipelines are damaged. There will not be any accountability or responsibility for the leakage. He said that the government or officials will not take up responsibility of getting the issue fixed up at the cost of the contractor. In many cases, new tenders are called to fix it up.

He said that the main delivery waterline from Sasikanthnagar water pump station of KMC started leaking within months of erection. Under the Smart City project, the waterline was laid from RTO office to Vakalapudi. When leak started, KMC and Smart City got engaged in maintenance by digging the road and they filled it up. But within few days again, second leak erupted, and water is wasted daily during water pumping. As this is the main line, there is a lot of wastage of water, resulting in road damage. Again, for the second time, the KMC dug this road and they are still in the process of fixing it. It has been months since it was dug, and a part of road was blocked on RTO road to Vakalapudi.

He said that there is another leakage at Laxminagar Ambedkar statue junction. When water is pumped, it is leaked all over and projected onto cement road leading to dairy farm centre. There are two major visible leaks of drinking water from the main line.Public are doubting that there may be many such small and big leaks in the underground pipeline.

If main pipe leaks could be arrested with proper planning when water is stored in storage beds and tanks, municipal authorities can easily supply water. But when the peak shortage starts, municipal water staff run from pillar to post.

Resident Bhamidipati Bhaskara Sarma said that even before the beginning of summer, they are facing water shortage and wanted the KMC officials to take effective steps to solve the issue. He said that the officials failed to rectify the problem. Though the leakage is minor wastage of water, it is very huge quantity when calculated annually. He wanted the KMC to plug the leakages immediately.

People are complaining that KMC is levying higher taxes on houses, water and others. But it is not paying attention to the basic problem of supplying water regularly without any delay. They also demand that the problem of leakages should be solved before the advent of summer. But they feel that water supply is not provided by citing the problem of leakage of water.

District collector D Muralidhar Reddy said that due to the cofferdam works to the Polavaram project, the Godavari canals would be closed from April 1 and the people of the Kakinada should take steps for saving water.

CPM Kakinada City Secretary Ch Ajay Kumar demanded the district authorities clean up all the water ponds because of the coming water shortage during the summer due to canals' early closure from April 1. He said that the officials were pumping drainage water into the ponds and contaminating them. He said that the ponds should be cleaned up by removing the drainage water and it will be filled with drinking water for the benefit of people.

Water works DE Prabhakar told 'The Hans India' restoration of water supply would be made possible very shortly.

Kakinada Municipal Commissioner Swapnil DinakarPundkar assured that the problem of leakage of water will be solved very shortly and the pits also will be covered with sand and water supply would be restored very soon without any hindrance.