In a major relief to people in Ongole, the summer storage tanks in the city have started getting Krishna water after plugging of breaches. This will help overcome the acute drinking water problem in the city till the onset of Southwest Monsoon.
Reviewing the water supply situation, Transport Minister Sidda Raghava Rao directed the officials to introduce once-in-two-days water supply from Monday as against once-in-five-days water supply now.
He wanted the civic and Rural Drinking water supply officials to fill up on war footing the 2.3 tmc ft of Krishna water released for the district into both notified and non-notified drinking water tanks as also cattle ponds by deploying electric motor pumps. ''We will be in trouble even if a single drop of water is wasted'', he said.
Ongole Municipal Commissioner S. Venkatakirshna explained that with the replenishment of water from Nagarjunasagar, drinking water supply could be ensured without any problem till October.
Irrigation Chief Engineer Veerraju said that Krishna water would be released till April 6 to Prakasam District.
Unveiling the strategy to meet the acute drinking water crisis, District Collector Sujata Sharma said that 0.7 tmc ft of Krishna water would be stored in Ramatheertham Balancing reservoir to meet the drinking water needs of Ongole, Kandukur, Kanigiri, Chimakurthi towns and also villages en route as and when needed.
The spilled over water from the canal leading to the two Summer Storage tank on Thursday had been brought back by deploying additional electric pumps, she added.
The trouble started when the civic officials tried to draw more water through the canals, which had a capacity to carry only 100 cusecs, for the Summer Storage tanks to fill them within 20 days as against the normal duration of 30 days by deploying additional electric motor pumps.
She thanked the Guntur district administration for ensuring Krishna water first to the tail-end areas in Prakasam district.
