Anantapur: Many parts of the district are facing a drinking water crisis following depletion of groundwater sources and drying up of borewells in the villages. The situation has worsened with the mercury levels rising up to touch 430 Celsius.
Rural water supply department faces a drinking water crisis in 690 villages in Anantapur district. At least 430 villages and habitations have no source of water with almost all the known distribution systems having failed because of depletion of groundwater sources. Authorities were supplying drinking water through private tankers. “Many villages have no sources and we are transporting water from borewells and drinking water schemes from nearby villages during the current summer season,” Anantapur rural water supply superintendent engineer Hareram Naik said.
Normally an average of 200 villages and habitations face drinking water problems throughout the year. This happens even during rainy season when mandal level rural water supply officials initiate supply of water through private tankers.
With the start of summer, a number of borewells have dried up. Rural water supply department plans to drill at least 200 new borewells and deepen 116 borewells which had dried up due to depletion of ground water sources, the official said.
Normally, many villages and even urban areas like Hindupur, Penukonda and Madakasira face severe water problem throughout the year.
However, Krishna water through Handri Neeva Sujala Shravanthi project filled many tanks in the southern parts of the district which helped to recharge water this year. Gollapalli reservoir in Penukonda mandal solved a four-decade-old drinking water problem for Penukonda town and surrounding areas. “We are happy to drink safe drinking water with no fluoride due to Krishna water,” Vijayakumar resident from Kota area said. Krishna water has reached many tanks in Hindupur areas due the efforts of MLA Nandamuri Balakrishna.
