Notwithstanding the fact that the Godavari river is just a km away, several villages in the Konaseema area are facing water crisis and the situation may worsen further in the coming days as mercury levels hovering above 42 degree Celsius in the region. Of the 19 revenue mandals in Amalapuram Revenue Division, many villages have been facing acute water problem for the last one month.
The most affected mandals in the area are Katrenikona, I. Polavaram, Mummidivaram, Sakhinetipalli, Malikipuram, Allavaram, and Uppalaguptam. All the villages that face water crisis are along the sea coast and salinity is the major problem not only in summer but also in other seasons. “Fishermen community has represented me about this problem and in turn I spoke to the District Collector on the necessity to prepare a master plan for converting saline water into drinking water,” says Pandula Ravindra Babu, MP, Amalapuram. Rural Water Schemes Divisional Engineer B.V.N.S. Mohan Rao has said: “Water problem in these mandals are two types. One is drinking water for daily purpose and the second is for domestic needs at least once in three days. We are giving preference to meet the drinking water needs.”
Eight Comprehensive Protected Water (CPW) projects were sanctioned under the RWS in the Katrenikona shore belt in 1997. Of them, water is still being supplied through Nadavapalli scheme to Nadavapalli, Geddanapalli, Koppigunta, Adavipeta, Seethammachettu, Mondipora, Gattachakayalapora, Pallipalem, Giddivaripeta, Ravulacheruvu, and Ramaswaithota villages. However, villagers say the water in the Nadavapalli tank has saline content and is not potable.
“We are getting water once in three days or four days in normal days. In summer we get it once a week,” say Sangani Devanandam and Salepu Someswara Rao of Nadavapalli.
However, fishermen villages Balusutippa, Pallam, Neellarevu and Chirrayanam did not get either drinking water or domestic water in the last two to three summers.
