Sidivalasa Villagers Walk Miles For Water; None Bother

Visakhapatnam: Three years ago, government authorities started work on drilling a borewell at the hilltop village of Sidivalasa in Peddakota panchayat of Ananthagiri mandal in ASR district, an agency area. However, the boring work has not been completed till today.

Sidivalasa has a population of 110 people belonging to 25 families. As they got no water, they walk for two kilometres to collect water from a pond which cattle also use and frolic in.

The villagers are drinking this water and often fall sick. To get well, they have to walk 20 km to reach the nearest PHC (primary health centre). Some of the seriously ill have to be taken in a doli – a makeshift platform physically carried by humans.

Further, in summers, even this polluted water evaporates, and they have no water to drink. The village belongs to PVTGs (particularly vulnerable tribal groups). These people have appealed to officials and public representatives to solve their problem. But they have not yet found any solution to their drinking water problem.

Vexed, women of the Sidivalasa households performed a special puja to the half-finished borewell.

Says Gemmila Chilakamma, former deputy sarpanch of the panchayat: “They drilled the borewell in 2021 with the 15th Finance Commission funds. But the motor has not been fixed since three years. We are facing many difficulties in procuring drinking water.”

Chilakamma said to get their issue resolved, villagers have met top officials, including the district collector and the project officer of ITDA PO. But nothing has happened.