Fears Over ZPs Managing Sathya Sai Drinking Water Scheme
Puttaparthi MLA Palle Sindhura Reddy asks state government to run the scheme within the Sathya Sai Water Supply framework.
Anantapur: Sathya Sai Rural Drinking Water Supply Scheme, a visionary initiative of spiritual leader Sri Sathya Sai Baba to address the chronic drinking water scarcity in drought-prone Rayalaseema, continues to serve as a lifeline for lakhs of people in the erstwhile Anantapur district.
Started in 1997, Sathya Sai Baba envisaged the project to provide safe drinking water to the drought-affected region, where groundwater resources are scarce and villages faced acute water shortages.
Over the years, the scheme has expanded significantly. Currently, it supplies drinking water to 1,341 villages, benefiting about 16.41 lakh people across Anantapur and Sathya Sai districts.
The Sathya Sai Rural Drinking Water Supply project operates through 273 individual schemes, 19 other schemes and five additional components, making it one of the largest rural drinking water initiatives in Andhra Pradesh.
However, concerns are being raised after the project had been transferred to the zilla parishads for maintenance. The way drinking water facilities are functioning has triggered apprehensions within public about the scheme being managed efficiently.
Following these concerns, Puttaparthi MLA Palle Sindhura Reddy has urged the state government to retain the project under the Sathya Sai Water Supply framework.
“The Sathya Sai Water Supply Project is the noble vision of Bhagawan Sri Sathya Sai Baba to quench the thirst of people in the drought-prone Rayalaseema region. It is not just an infrastructure project but a humanitarian mission that has been serving lakhs of people for decades,” the MLA pointed out.
She fears that management of the scheme by zilla parishads may affect regular supply of drinking water to villages.
The MLA has appealed to Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu and Deputy Chief Minister Pawan Kalyan to safeguard the scheme and ensure uninterrupted drinking water supply to the people in the region.
Sindhura Reddy is not alone in making this request. Majority of the MLAs are reportedly opposing the decision of merging the scheme with the zilla parishad for maintenance.