Apathy adds to misery of Murias and Koyas reeling under water shortage along A.P.-Chhattisgarh border

Authorities are clueless about preparedness to tackle the problems in Chintoor Agency; not received special grant for alternative arrangements this year, says Rural Water Supply official

The stream near a Muria habitation has gone dry and the available muddy water is unfit for consumption, in Chintoor Agency of Alluri Sitharama Raju district. | Photo Credit: G.N. RAO

The Muria and Koya tribes living in Chintoor Agency of Alluri Sitharama Raju district in Andhra Pradesh are reeling under water scarcity as the streams on which they are dependent have gone dry.

The Murias who fled from the Naxal-hit Chhattisgarh during the conflict between the Maoists and State-sponsored Salwa Judum before 2012 settled in the Chintoor Agency.  

The tribal pockets along the 25-km stretch of dense forests between Chandravanka stream and Edugurallapalli on the Andhra Pradesh-Chhattisgarh border are facing severe water shortage. The Murias have built their settlements near streams running through the forests.

A major part of the Chandravanka stream flowing in Andhra Pradesh has dried up and the available water is muddy, not safe for drinking. 

When The Hindu visited the Muria hamlets, the residents said they were suffering due to lack of safe drinking water. The Koya tribes living far from the Sabari and Godavari rivers also reiterated the same. 

Women collecting water from a handpump in a Muria habitation in Chintoor Agency of Alluri Sitharamaraju district. The only handpump is insufficient to cater to the needs of the residents, they say. | Photo Credit: G.N. RAO

 “The stream we largely depend upon has gone dry. Our hamlet has only one handpump which is insufficient to cater to our needs. We have cattle too. Now, we need to take our animals far wherever water is available,” a Muria woman told The Hindu. 

When contacted over phone, Integrated Tribal Development Authority (ITDA), Chintoor Project Officer Kavoori Chaitanya was clueless about any preparedness to tackle the water scarcity in these tribal habitations. He was also not sure about the number of habitations that were facing water shortage. 

Rural Water Supply Department Chintoor Divisional Engineer In-Charge Pendurthy Ravindrababu told The Hindu, “We have not received any special grant from the State government this year for making alternative arrangements for drinking water in the Chintoor Agency. We have been busy in the maintenance works related to handpumps”.