Stating that the State government has released the Fifteenth Finance Commission (FFC) funds of ₹1,000 crore, Chief Secretary K.S. Jawahar Reddy has ordered the district Collectors to immediately implement the summer contingency plans across the State to ensure each village and urban area gets sufficient drinking water up to June.
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During a review meeting on water shortage in the drought-affected districts on Saturday, Mr. Jawahar Reddy ordered the Collectors concerned to repair all the summer water storage tanks and fill them with the available water from nearby resources. There was no dearth of funds to spend on water management to ensure drinking water supply during the summer, he added.
He instructed the officers to create awareness among the public on the importance of water conservation and its judicious usage during summer by holding campaigns.
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The MGNREGA works to repair water tanks and other relevant programmes across the State should be continued and the officials monitoring such works should be exempted from election duties, he said, adding already water scarcity is prevailing in nine districts.
The groundwater levels should be monitored every 15 days and a comprehensive report submitted for their effective management. Private borewells should be hired in the areas where the government water resources have exhausted, he said.
Mr. Jawahar Reddy asked the Collectors to prepare district-specific summer drinking water contingency plans and execute them in coordination with the relevant departments in urban and rural areas.