The tribal belt in Adilabad district is not likely to acquire safe drinking water supply through the mega Kumram Bheem Drinking Water Scheme (KBDWS) even this summer, thanks to some unforeseen and some other avoidable problems cropping up.
The project, costing about Rs. 150 crore, was sanctioned in 2008 envisages supply of water to nearly 170 tribal habitations in the epidemic-prone mandals of Kerameri, Jainoor, Sirpur (U), Narnoor and parts of Utnoor and Indervelli.
A dozen million litres of water will be lifted every day from the Kumram Bheem irrigation project reservoir near Ada village in Asifabad mandal and supplied to habitations through a network of pipelines once the KBDWS gets completed.
This seems to be highly unlikely given the kind of seriousness with which work is proceeding at present.
There was much delay owing to forest clearance as the main pipeline cuts through some reserve forest area between Jainoor and Kerameri mandals.
When this clearance was achieved a hitch in the design surfaced causing further delay in execution of works.
“The unexpected problem is the 230 metre head in the Kerameri hills which requires surge treatment. We have already made design changes in this regard and tenders have been called for,” reveals Rural Water Supply (RWS) Superintending Engineer B. Indrasen as he talks of the problems cropping up.
With regard to the new problem, Mr. Indrasen says a vessel with 10 cubic metre capacity will be installed on the pipeline at the base of the Kerameri hills. “This vessel, which will control any back surge of water, is appropriate to take care of the problem,” he observes.
“We will complete the first phase works by end of March,” the RWS chief in Adilabad sounded confident despite the delay to be caused due to erection of the surge treatment apparatus. “The grounding of second phase works however, will take more time," he adds.
Meanwhile, the drinking water problem is increasing gradually in the tribal area in this district.
The average depth at which groundwater is available in the district is about a precarious 9 metres.
