Telangana appoints special officers to monitor drinking water situation

Hyderabad: Amid reports of drinking water shortage in parts of Telangana, the state government on Wednesday appointed 10 IAS officers to monitor drinking water situation in 32 districts.

The officials, appointed for all districts save Hyderabad, have been asked to monitor the situation in both rural and urban areas of the districts allotted to them.

Chief Secretary Santhi Kumari issued a Government Order in this regard.

According to the GO, the special officers, who have been allotted two to six districts, should visit the districts immediately to coordinate with the district Collectors and state-level departments and monitor the drinking water situation till the end of July.

They should ensure an adequate supply of drinking water to all rural and urban households every day.

The special officers are further directed not to apply for leave during this period and focus on the work related to the drinking water situation in the districts, reads the GO.

The Chief Secretary held a video conference with the district Collectors last week to take stock of the drinking water situation in their respective districts. She reiterated that there is no problem with drinking water in the current summer as there is sufficient water available in the three main reservoirs of the state this year.

According to her, the Summer Action Plan has already been formulated to address the problem of drinking water in the state and appropriate funds have also been released to the districts as such there is no need to worry about drinking water supply in the state.

She noted that while the flushing of bore wells and repairs of pipes have already been completed, the Collectors were advised to correct the management errors immediately and pay special attention to continuous water supply.

The Collectors were told to hold a teleconference with the field-level officials concerned and nodal officials on drinking water supply in villages and towns every day. She directed that special measures should be taken to ensure that all the works sanctioned as part of the Summer Action Plan are completed on time, paying special attention to operation and maintenance.

She cautioned that while some states are facing a severe drinking water shortage, attempts are being made to publish similar types of news stories in Telangana as well.

"However, despite the lack of sufficient rainfall in the state this time, there is no need to worry as the water levels in the main reservoirs, SRSP, Sripada Yellampalli and Nagarjuna Sagar are the same as last year. However, the Collectors were also directed to make alternative arrangements."

She said that in some municipalities and villages, there were administrative deficiencies and these deficiencies were resolved immediately. She asked the Collectors to respond to news items on water issues appearing in various media and take action immediately.

Chief Minister Revanth Reddy said that after the second week of April, emergency pumping from the reservoirs will be undertaken. Hyderabad Metro Water Supply and Sewerage Board officials said that there is a sufficient supply of water in Hyderabad, but the demand due to commercial needs is high.