This sleepy village in Pedacherlo Palle mandal of Kanigiri Assembly constituency in the drought-prone Prakasam district was once a flourishing one. The villagers used to grow paddy, pulses, fruit and vegetables and export them after meeting domestic requirements.
The village now presents a pathetic picture, with major water sources having dried up and most residents suffering from dental fluorosis, brittle bones, kidney ailments, neurological disorders and cancer owing to the high fluoride content in water.
“The problem is severe this year, thanks to the prolonged dry spell,” says local MPTC Ch. Adamma. “Forgoing paddy, farmers have grown only fodder crop to save cattle. We look forward to some philanthropist to lend us some help,” she adds.
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“Inadequate supply of water from the Ramatheertham balancing reservoir is also adding to our woes,” says gram sarpanch Y. Chinnappa Reddy who finds it difficult to apportion the available water among the 5,000-odd residents.
Though the village has a reverse osmosis plant, there is no system to dispose of waste water from the RO plant, which mixes with the ground water. Filtering is not properly done at the RO plant, according to Ramana Reddy (30) who suffers from premature ageing. “We face health problems owing to use of contaminated ground water for cooking and growing crops, with no other alternative left to us,” he says.
Villagers develop health problems like kidney stone even at the age of 30 and renal failure in their fifties, observes rural medical practitioner P. Mallikarjun.
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Meanwhile, social activist Neelam Subba Rao has demanded that the government complete the Rs. 5,150 crore Pula Subbaiah Veligonda project covering all the villages in P.C. Palle mandal at the earliest. Anticipating very severe water shortage during summer in all the eight fluoride-affected mandals in the Kanigiri assembly constituency, TDP MLA Kadiri Babu Rao has requested Transport Minister Sidda Raghava Rao to make arrangements for water supply through tankers as a short-term measure and augment the supply of surface water in the long term.
Meanwhile, the Minister has promised that ahead of summer, inter-departmental teams will be constituted at the grassroots level to overcome the drinking water problem.