The Hindu Andhra Pradesh 31.07.2009
Water supply situation turns precarious
D. Chandra Bhaskar Rao
| Collector urged to take steps for release of water from Palair reservoir |
Residents told to make judicious use of water
Civic body decided to cut down supply time
— Photo: G.N. Rao
STOCK-TAKING: Municipal Chairman Afroze Sameena and councillors looking at the water level at the Munneu open storage at Danavaigudem in Khammam district on Thursday.
KHAMMAM: The monsoon situation, which is still precarious, has cast its shadow on the water supply in the district headquarters town. The municipal administration, in view of the water scarcity being experienced in the town, has made an appeal to the residents to make judicious use of water until the levels improved in the Danavaigudem open storage, which is the main source that had been supporting the supply system for decades. A decision has been taken to cut down the supply time from one-and-a-half hour to one hour daily.
Led by the Municipal Chairperson, Afroze Sameena, councillors from some 41 wards experiencing difficulties in water supply, made a visit to the filter beds at the Danavaigudem and took stock of the rapidly falling water levels in the open storage in the Munneru river on Thursday. The officials said that the water level at Danavaigudem touched the dead storage of 6.5 feet. It may support the supply only for a week or so. They voiced grave concern over the hardships in store for the residents in the town.
They made a representation to district Collector V. Usharani seeking release of water from Palair balancing reservoir to fill the open storage once again. The Collector assured them of steps to ensure water release by August 5. She also advised the civic body take steps to avoid wastage of the limited water resources available for the town. Modernisation works were in progress on the NSP canal including the 30 kilometre stretch from Palair balancing reservoir to Munneru.
Cooperation sought
Municipal Commissioner N. Satyanarayana said that the Collector had responded to the situation positively. The supply to the 20,000 odd domestic and public taps in the town could be augmented once the Danavaigudem open storage was refilled. He appealed to the general public to cooperate with the municipal administration.
The daily supply in the town is over five million gallons. The supply to over 36,000 households was depending mainly on Munneru open storage.
Municipal Vice-Chairman Ponnam Venkateswarlu said that the municipality should have had contingency plans to meet the scarcity conditions in the town. A majority of the councillors had been alerting the civic authorities well in advance about the adverse situation, but no concrete steps were taken to tide over water scarcity.
