Sunkesula Barrage drying up

Kurnool: Kurnool the first capital of United Andhra Pradesh is now reeling under severe drinking water crisis. District officials are combating on how to overcome the dire situations this summer. Two more months to pass to receive the rains, in the mean time the district is badly affected with the drought conditions. It is said to be one of the worst situations in two decades. Some of the reservoirs in the district were seen totally dried up and some others are on the verge of drying.

Sunkesula Barrage constructed to store a capacity of 1.25 TMC ft water has a deserted look in decades and people of the adjacent villages of Tungabhadra River are digging pits in the river beds to fetch a pail of water. Hundreds of villages on the banks of Tungabhadra River are experiencing dire situations. Only 0.050 TMC of water out of total storage of 1.25 TMC ft was observed at the barrage.

It would not be sufficient if the supply is restricted to one time supply in five days for all colonies of Kurnool city. More than 95 per cent of the families depend on the water supplied by Kurnool Municipal Corporation.Almost all residential colonies in the city are facing water scarcity despite of Kurnool Municipal Corporation’s (KMC) efforts to ensure hour-long water supply on alternate days.

More than 100 colonies in the Corporation are getting water once in a week other colonies twice and the rest colonies across the district head quarter are getting water supply thrice in week. According to municipal officials, at least 70 cusecs of water flow from Tungabhadra River on a round the-clock basis is needed to cater to the drinking water needs to 6 lakh population in the city. But, the water flow in the river has completely come to stand still as the entire stretch has dried up.

The officials are making efforts to supply water from the Summer Storage Tank (SS Tank). The water available in the tank is sufficient to supply for 10 to 15 days and after that it is a herculean task to the officials. To overcome the drinking water crisis the irrigation officials have planned to lift water from Gajula Dinne Project at Gonegandla. The project can accommodate a capacity of 4.5 TMC ft water.

If the water at GDP is not allowed to use for other purpose then the drinking water problems could be served smoothly. But the people of Kodmur are utilizing the water for some other purpose, according to an official source.S Kalyani a resident of Mamatha Nagar said how is it possible to manage the summer if the officials supply drinking water for one hour that too twice in a week.

She also said that they have to purchase water by spending Rs.10 a pot or else they have to keep thirsty the entire day. The Municipal official is only interested in collecting water taxes rather than ensuring water supply, she criticised.Another resident of Muzaffar Nagar, Baba Fakruddin woed that this kind of water scarcity was never seen in years, this year it is very high. To get a pail of water, we have to keep awake all the night and whatever we get it is only sufficient for drinking.

For additional use we have to travel 15 kilo metres to fetch water for bathing and other purposes, he lamented. According to an official of Kurnool Municipal Corporation, city requires at least 70 million litres per day. But, water levels in Sunkesula Barrage have abnormally gone down due to which they drawing nearly 30 cusecs water from Gajula Dinne Project to Summer Storage Tank. After chlorination, the water is being supplied to the residents of the city in phases, he stated.

He said it is very hard to satisfy the water needs of 6 lakh population. There are 51 wards with 450 colonies to which 65000 municipal tap connections have been provided. Actually we need 72.12 ML per Day (MLD) but we are supplying 67.00 MLD is being supplied on intervals ie, once, twice and thrice in a week, he stated.

He also said that water is being supplied through tankers wherever there are no municipal tap connections and at newly formed colonies in the city limits. Water at 12 wards is being supplied once in a week, twice in a week at 15 wards and alternate supply at 24 wards. The worst effected colonies are Geetha Mukharjee Nagar, Samatha Nagar, besides 90 other colonies, he added.