Steps Underway To Ensure Drinking Water Supply In Rural Areas: Seethakka
Telangana is preparing village-level summer action plans and reserving reservoir water for drinking needs to prevent shortages amid concerns over El Niño’s impact.
The government was taking steps to ensure there are no drinking water shortages, regardless of the severity of El Nino’s impact, panchayat raj minister Danasari ‘Seethakka’ Anasuya, said on Saturday.
The minister, who said a robust action plan was being implemented to prevent drinking water shortages, directed officials to prioritise drinking water needs and ensure judicious use of available water resources. “All necessary alternative arrangements must be made to ensure that the public does not face any water-related hardships under any circumstances,” the minister said during a review with senior officials on water supply in rural areas served by the Mission Bhagiratha scheme.
Seethakka said that a special meeting on the situation in the Singur reservoir and what it meant for water supply, would be held on October 23. This would be followed by reviews with district collectors in the first week of November.
Seethakka said all available water in reservoirs, once irrigation requirements are met by November 1, must be reserved only for drinking water needs. She also said officials should ensure availability of motors for emergency pumping from dead storage levels in reservoirs if required.
She directed officials to prepare ‘summer action plan’ for every village and settlement and local drinking water sources should be identified in advance and be made ready for use. To enhance groundwater levels, construction of borewell recharge structures must be completed, and steps should be taken to build check dams wherever necessary, she said, with special attention in tribal and hilly areas.