Khammam pining  for a pail of water

Khammam: Acute drinking water crisis in the current summer in the district is looming large as bore wells and protected drinking water schemes in a majority of the villages in the district have gone dry. In the absence of a proper plan to tide over the crisis, the water woes seem to be inevitable. In majority of the villages, bore wells have gone dry already.

Of the 2,695 villages, only 1,574 villages now get continuous drinking water supply while 1,121 villages have partial supply. There are 19,357 hand pumps, 119 open wells, 217 minor drinking water schemes, 1,328 major drinking water schemes, 22 integrated drinking water schemes and 718 pumping schemes in the district.

Though funds are allotted to the district under State and Central government schemes, integrated planning, MPLADs, community development programmes, ITDA and so on, the bore wells have turned dysfunctional in many villages. Motors of drinking water schemes and pipelines have developed snags at many places.

In Bhadrachalam Agency, the drinking water problem is acute in Wajedu, Charla and Dummugudem. In Burgampahad mandal, the problem assumed serious proportions in Krishna Nagar and Morampalli Banjara panchayats. Though water level is satisfactory in Wyra reservoir, supply of drinking water from Bodepudi Sujala Sravanti is irregular.

The drinking water problem is higher in some of the villages in Illendu, Karepalli, Gundala mandal, Garla mandal, Manuguru and Pinapaka, Tirumalapuram, Khammam rural and urban mandals. Some villages in Kothagudem or Sattupalli are no exception. The villagers have been appealing to authorities to press into service mobile teams to undertake repairs to drinking water schemes and bore wells to ensure continuous water supply.

However, terming it an annual problem of the panchayat, the mandal officials turned a blind eye to the crisis. The farmers have been demanding officials to provide water tubs to quench the thirst of cattle. The ground water table in the district had fallen to 100 meters two months ago. The district administration appears to have completely failed to take precautions to avert the drinking water crisis, fuelled by severe drought-like conditions in the district.