Patients and their attendants have been facing problems due to water shortage at the King George Hospital (KGH) here. Attendants are forced to fetch water from various sources near the hospital.
On Saturday morning, following request from the KGH officials, the Greater Visakhapatnam Municipal Corporation (GVMC) has sent water tankers to the hospital. Attendants formed queues and collected water outside the wards for their daily use. They carried the water buckets on their heads to their respective wards. However, the attendants alleged that the water was not at all sufficient and they were forced to collect again from nearby taps in the hospital and surrounding colonies.
“This has been the issue for the last two days. We are storing water and using it judiciously. Unfortunately, we bought only one bucket. I had purchased another bucket in the nearby market. The officials must take some steps and solve the problem,” said Lovaraju, a resident of Anandapuram, whose wife is being treated at KGH in Gynaecology ward.
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Two youths Subhash and Chandu were seen collecting water from a drinking water tap near Bhavnagar ward and taking it for the needs of their relative who was undergoing treatment in a ward. They said that they had only fetched one bucket of water in the morning which was insufficient.
According to sources in KGH, a pipeline, which was laid decades ago, was damaged. Sources said that help has been sought from the GVMC Engineering Department officials, who are working to rectify the problem on a war-footing. It was learnt that it would take another day to two to solve the problem.