AP Aims For 100% Potable Water Supply In Municipalities: Narayana
CM reviews civic infrastructure, AMRUT funds revived for water pipelines
sVIJAYAWADA: Minister for municipal administration P. Narayana has stated that the state government is making every effort to ensure 100% supply of potable water to all households in municipalities across Andhra Pradesh.
The minister shared details of a review meeting held by Chief Minister Nara Chandrababu Naidu with the municipal administration department at his Undavalli residence on Saturday.
Narayana explained that people living in municipalities expect potable water, proper sanitation, street lighting, well-maintained roads, and parks. During the TD’s earlier tenure from 2014 to 2019, the government mobilised funds from various sources, including ₹5,800 crore from the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB) and ₹3,000 crore under the Swachh Bharat programme. However, he alleged that the previous YSR Congress government failed to release its share of funds, resulting in the Centre halting further disbursements.
Following the TD’s return to power, the minister said funds had been sanctioned again under the AMRUT scheme, and tenders were called for laying pipelines, which would help provide potable water to 85% of houses in the municipalities. He assured that water would be drawn from rivers and canals instead of relying on borewells.
Narayana also revealed plans to lay drainage pipelines alongside the drinking water pipelines, with an expectation of securing ₹5,350 crore from the AIIB. He sounded confident that the state would achieve 100% potable water coverage in all municipal areas once these projects were completed. The Chief Minister, he said, had instructed the finance department to release AP’s share of funds to execute these works.
Highlighting the state’s solid waste generation of 8,000 tonnes per day, Narayana said efforts were underway to generate power from this waste. Six waste-to-energy plants are planned at Rajamahendravaram, Nellore, Kadapa, Kurnool, Vijayawada, and Tirupati, while tenders had already been invited for plants at Guntur and Visakhapatnam.
He expressed confidence that, once completed, these facilities would convert 7,500 tonnes of solid waste daily into power and would help clear the 85 lakh metric tonnes of legacy waste left by the previous regime.
The minister further assured that the government would complete the construction of TIDCO houses and hand them over to beneficiaries at the earliest.