As the summer is round the corner, the local authorities are gearing up to maintain proper water supply in the city during the hot weather conditions.
The problem of water distribution, which is quite common in the localities spread on the hill slopes, persists in other areas too, this time. The summer heat is already felt in hilly slopes. The closure of canals, more particularly, Eastern Canal has led to drying up of borewells and wells in One Town area.
The residents of localities such as Ajit Singh Nagar maintain that water problem has always been there in their areas. They say that water comes with very low pressure and sometimes it just trickles. They mostly depend on private water suppliers or open wells. “There is immense water scarcity and we are facing a lot of problems. This even leads to clashes and fights among us. If a tanker comes regularly, then there won't be so many problems,” is what most of them say.
The drinking water supply is drawn from both surface and groundwater sources in the city. The sinking of 10MGD Ramalingeswara Nagar plant has upped the ante. The VMC is mostly depending on borewells to supply water in Patamata and its surrounding areas following sinking of 10 MGD plant at Ramalingeswara Nagar. The VMC dug as many as 29 borewells at various locations to supply water to different parts in the Vijayawada (East) segment alone.
The VMC dug five deep borewells after the plant sunk. The 10 MGD plant was able to cater to the needs of only 50 per cent of the 3 lakh population under Circle III. The remaining population was served bore water. As many as nine reservoirs under the Ramalingeswara Nagar plant supply water to more than 3 lakh people.
The Corporation authorities are looking forward to meet the requirement of potable water of the people. They say that they were taking adequate measures to tide over water crisis and steps are already afoot to regulate water supply.
VMC CE Kondal Rao says that all possible steps to maintain proper water supply in the city during summer. An action plan of Rs. 73 lakh was prepared, and the plans were afoot to ensure 160 LPD of water to every citizen.
The people could lodge complaints through 103 or personally if they faced water problem, he adds.
