The Hindu 28.08.2009
Release of water brings cheer to thirsting people
Special Correspondent
| It is expected to take 10 days for Nagarjunasagar water to reach Ongole |
Monitoring needed to prevent drawal for agricultural purposes
Summer storage tanks go almost dry affecting water supply in Ongole
Photo: Sreenivas Kommuri 
The dried-up tank at Darsi that supplied drinking water to 142 villages affected by excess fluoride in ground water. —
ONGOLE: The news that water was released into Nagarjuna Sagar canal at 4.30 pm on Wednesday provided much cheer to Ongole town and several villages that depended on the canal to meet their drinking water requirements.
The water is expected to reach Ongole in 10 days to avert a crisis in the town. The government need to monitor closely and prevent drawals for agricultural purposes in the upstream areas to ensure that water reaches in time to quench the thirst of lakhs of people. The summer storage tanks went almost dry affecting drinking water supply in Ongole town, 142 villages under Netherlands Aided Project at Darsi, Kanigiri major panchayats and 170 notified tanks under Nagarjuna Sagar right canal causing concern about drinking water.
There are two summer storage tanks at Darsi. While one tank supplied water to Kanigiri major panchayat, another one provided safe drinking water to 142 villages affected by excess fluoride in groundwater. Both the tanks went dry last week. Officials arranged transportation to seven other villages and they advised other villages to draw water from wells that contain fluoride in permissive limits.
Assistant Engineer Venkateswarlu said the tanks were to be filled in June. As there is delay in release of canal water this year, both the tanks went dry causing concern. Ongole town too has two summer storage tanks to supply drinking water to more than two lakh people. While one tank went dry last month, another tank held enough water to meet the requirements till August month end. Following delay in water release, municipal officials have been releasing water with bated breath for the last fortnight. In this background, the government released water into the right canal yesterday. It would take seven to 10 days for the water to reach Ongole under normal circumstances. The district officials need to monitor water flow closely and ensure that the drinking water tanks got filled on a priority basis before farmers drew water for agricultural purposes. It is going to be an uphill task for officials.
