Kurnool, March 27: India, it is said, lives in her villages.
And what kind of life is it? Certainly far removed from the romantic song and dance sequences in films set against swaying, green paddy fields and alluring blue ponds.
Take for instance Kaludevakunta in Mantralayam constituency. “We are taking bath once in 10 days due to the inadequate water. It is very hard but we are winding up an entire day’s activity with just a pail of water. The reminder about inadequacy of water begins soon as the day dawns and we begin to perform ablutions,’’ lamented Ramanjaneyulu, belonging to the village.
The case of Kaludevakunta is not lone. Nearly 70 per cent of the villages in the district with a total of 1,527 panchayats are reeling under shortage of water.
In some places, people are being forced to walk for miles to fetch potable water while in some others, people are falling sick drinking contaminated water in streams and canals.
More than 50 people were admitted to Adoni Government Hospital after taking ill consuming contaminated water in Alachaladinne of Alur mandal.
In a few villages, people are literally fighting for water.
Several mandals like Alur, Halaharvi, Koutalam, Holagunda in Alur constituency, Aspari and Yemmiganur in Yemmiganur constituency, Mantralayam and Nandavaram in Mantralayam constituency, Pyapili and Krishnagiri mandals in Dhone constituency, Gudur and C Belagal in Kodumur constituency, Devanakonda at Tuggili mandals in Pattikonda constituency, Kallur in Panyam constituency, Srisailam, Atmakur, Pamulapadu and Jupadubungla in Srisailam constituency.
MANY SCHEMES BUT NO USE: The government has been implementing several schemes for resolving the drinking water problem in the district having a population of 30 lakh.
But majority of them are confined to records alone. There are many schemes to name but none is able to truly resolve the problem due to the negligence of officials, corruption by contractors and vested interests of the political leaders.
The government has arranged for 13,000 hand pumps, 2,023 PWS schemes and 469 CPWS schemes apart from taking up several works under Swajaladhara, Ambedkar Jeevandhara, Hudco 12th Finance and Rajiv Pallebata. The officials claim to be implementing plans worth Rs 2.93 crore for meeting the drinking water requirements in summer. However, intellectuals feel that people are continuing to suffer only due to the failure of the schemes.
–Agencies