Expressing anguish over the shortage of drinking water in many mandals at the Zilla Parishad general body meeting held here on Friday, members cutting across party lines demanded that the State Government should address the issue immediately and take steps to mitigate the crisis.
The crisis is severe in several mandals in Palnadu region under the Nagarjunasagar Project ayacut and could worsen in the days to come. Ground water levels in most mandals have fallen indicating the gravity of crisis.
More bore wells sought
“All the wells in our mandal have dried up and we hope to salvage the situation by digging bore wells. But the officials are denying permission in those mandals where the Opposition party is strong,” alleged Bollapalli ZPTC Kinnera Santhoshamma.
Water releases from Nagarjunasagar, a lifeline to many villages in Palnadu, have been stopped due to dead storage levels in the reservoir. MLAs Pinnelli Ramakrishna Reddy (Macherla), G. Srinivasa Reddy (Narsaraopet) too raised the plight of people in many villages.
Admitting that the water crisis is severe, Minister for Agriculture Prathipati Pulla Rao said that he would prevail upon Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu to ensure that water is released from Prakasam Barrage into Krishna Western Delta by the end of February.
Plea to panchayats
He asked the panchayats to ensure that all drinking water tanks are filled to tide over the crisis in summer.
Nod for 120
borewells likely
Minister for Social Welfare Ravela Kishore Babu said that sanction would be given to dig 120 bore wells in drought-prone areas.
Mr. Pulla Rao further said that Rs.24.66 crore would be released as per the proposals sent by the Rural Water Supply Department to supply drinking water through water tankers to villages whose population ranges between 1 lakh and 5 lakh.
Collector Kantilal Dande asked the RWS and PR departments to study the feasibility of drawing water from even private industries and supply them to villages.
I will talk to the Chief Minister and see to it that water is released from Prakasam Barrage by month-end
Pulla Rao,
Minister for Agriculture.
