KOTHAGUDEM: The possibility of providing safe drinking water through Mission Bhagiratha (MB) is destined to take more time.
The target under MB on extending protected water to all the people living in 1,513 habitations and towns like Paloncha, Kothagudem, Manuguru, Bhadrachalam and Yellandu in Bhadradri district will not be accomplished in the near future. The contractors, whose bills were not paid due to Covid-19, are not showing any eagerness to complete the works. Works came to standstill during the lockdown and the contractors are waiting for payment of pending bills.
Although there is no MB water in 312 habitations, officials are putting the figure at 22. There is a significant difference in the claims of MB officials and the ground realities. While the main water grid and reservoir have been completed, projects like intra-village remain incomplete. Also left midway through are overhead tanks in over 20 places. Laying of pipelines to overhead tanks from water grids is the only work that is fully complete. However, there has been no water supply yet in many locations.
Officials claim that pipelines to a length of 2,165 kilometres of the total 2,179 km are complete. The fact of the matter is that work is pending over 100 kms. There is no MB water supply in 90 per cent of the villages in Sujathanagar mandal.
In Kothagudem, about 40 per cent of works are pending and officials have connected old Kinnerasani pipelines to MB lines from where water is being supplied. Incessant rains washed away many pipes. Pipelines laid in Murreduvagu, a rivulet in Kothagudem, were adversely affected by the recent floods. Water supply in five divisions is erratic and there is no fixed time-schedule for release of water.
On the one hand laying of pipeline works are underway in Gundala, Allapalli and Chelagattu while it is nowhere in sight at Adaviramaram, Bodaikunta, Pedavenkatapuram, Singaram and Rayagudem in Allapalli mandal.
Meanwhile, authorities spotted leakages in 64 places and remedial measures are underway.
