Minister Ramanarayana Reddy Orders Priority to Drinking Water Supply in Prakasam District

 Nellore: AP Endowments minister Anam Ramanarayana Reddy, in-charge of Prakasam district, directed officials to act swiftly and ensure safe drinking water supply to all villages, especially during the peak summer.

Addressing a District Review Committee meeting at the Ongole Collectorate on Monday, the minister expressed concern over reports of acute water scarcity in 17 mandals of the district. He emphasized that the state government has issued strict orders that no citizen should suffer due to lack of potable water.

Ramanarayana Reddy instructed officials to take proactive measures and implement a comprehensive water supply action plan under the leadership of minister Dr. Dola Sri Balaveeranjaneya Swamy. He asked officials to identify villages requiring repairs to protected water supply schemes and submit detailed proposals, including the funds needed, for immediate action.

At the meeting, various MLAs raised the issue of drinking water shortage. Most of the complaints from multiple villages related to broken pipelines, non-functioning motors, and borewell repairs. Some villages resorted to drinking water supply through tankers. But their bills are yet to be cleared.

AP Maritime Board chairman Damacharla Satya pointed to the Kondepi constituency, which has no natural water resource. MLAs from Markapuram, Giddalur and Yerragondapalem also flagged urgent concerns.

Minister Balaveeranjaneya Swamy suggested that to provide drinking water to livestock, water troughs be constructed under the employment guarantee scheme. District collector A. Thameem Ansariya said efforts have been intensified to supply drinking water to the needy areas.

The review meeting touched upon other welfare and development programmes like employment guarantee, PM Surya Ghar Muft Bijli Yojana, housing schemes, and urban infrastructure projects. But the immediate focus remained on ensuring safe and sufficient drinking water to people.

Key directives issued at the meeting include ensuring uninterrupted drinking water supply in all drought-prone mandals, expediting repairs to borewells, pipelines and water pumps, immediate completion of AMRUT scheme projects, clearing outstanding bills for water transportation and submitting immediate proposals for funding water schemes.

The meeting began with a tribute to soldiers martyred under Operation Sindoor. Ministers, MPs, MLAs, zilla parishad chairpersons and senior officials of various departments attended the meeting.