Visakhapatnam: With heavy consumption of ground water for commercial purposes at Health City, residents of Arilova Colony and surrounding areas have been facing severe water shortage.
From the past few days, the situation has turned so dire that they have been forced to purchase water tankers for regular usage.
“There are at least two bore wells in each house in our area. As the old ones stopped functioning, we have to dig deeper. After a few months, the new bore wells also go dry. Moreover, the municipal water supply was discontinued from the last four days due to the decreased water levels in reservoirs,” said Mukkavilli Raju, a resident of Arilova Colony.
He said: “Neither municipal water nor bore water is available here. We have to buy 1,000-litre water tanker for Rs 350 from private individuals, who bring it from the nearest reservoir. The local MLA supplies water through two tankers, but only to slum areas. The municipal authorities have not even sent water tankers in this area.”
However, the Greater Visakhapatnam Municipal Corporation has not restricted the usage of groundwater by the corporate hospitals in Health City. The locals claim that the private hospitals have dug up to 1,000-1,600 feet. Without procuring the bulk water, these hospitals have been using the groundwater for construction purposes.
While the civic body lost revenue from bulk water sales, households in the neighbourhood are concerned about the diminishing groundwater resources.
The condition may worsen in the coming months and during next summer. The resident welfare associations in Arilova Colony and Visalakshi Nagar are planning an agitation against this.
When asked, GVMC executive engineer A. Mahesh has denied any water crisis in the area. He said that water supply was interrupted for a few days due to maintenance at the head water works. He also claimed that groundwater level has not decreased in the area.
