Adilabad: People from interior villages in erstwhile Adilabad district are facing drinking water problems much before the onset of summer since they are not getting potable water under mission Bhagiratha. Women are going long distances to collect water from agriculture wells, streams, rivulets and borewells.
Reportedly drinking water has not been supplied to many villages in Utnoor mandal for the last 10 days from mission Bhgiratha and water is being lifted from Ada project.
During the recent Komaram Bheem Asifabad ZP meetingy, BRS MLA Kova Laxmi expressed her displeasure over officials and their failure to provide mission Bhagiratha water in her constituency.
Villagers of Hettiguda in Chinthala Manepalli mandal have not been getting potable water under mission Bhagiratha for a long time. Kolam tribals who are considered ‘Particularly Vulnerable tribal group’ (PVTG) of Loddiguda village in Dabholi gram panchayat in Jainoor mandal are also dependent on streams and rivulets for their water requirements. It is a similar story in many interior villages and those located on hillocks.
Kolam Sangham state general secretary Tekam Vasanth Rao said that kolams from Loddiguda were forced to walk four km to collect drinking water from the stream. Moreover, there is no mission Bhagiratha pipeline connection to the village which is atop a hillock inside the deep forest.
Mission Bhagiratha water has not reached many interior villages due to various reasons such as damaged pipelines, leakages in the supply and inaccessible locations of villages.
During his recent visit to Indravelli, Chief Minister A. Revanth Reddy had announced Rs 60 crore funds for drinking water supply in villages and project works in the erstwhile Adilabad district.
Among the badly hit villages because of erratic mission Bhagiratha supply are Narnoor, Gadeguda, Kerameri, Jainoor, Indravelli, Lingapur, Utnoor, biryani, Bejjur and Penchikalpet.
Pandra Jayawanth Rao, BRS MPP Utnoor said that people of Kannapur gram panchayat, Dongachintha, Kamaipet, Babapur, Chinthakarra, Maruguda and Mathadi gram panchayats were not getting drinking water under mission Bhagiratha for the last ten days, though drinking water taps were fixed to the pipelines and water tanks were constructed.
