Wells Turn Lifeline As Water Crisis Deepens in Adilabad

Adilabad: Villagers in Komaram Bheem Asifabad and Adilabad districts are facing an acute drinking water shortage as soaring temperatures above 40 degrees Celsius have dried up streams and rivulets.

The Integrated Tribal Development Agency (ITDA), Utnoor, had dug agricultural wells in interior tribal areas in earlier years, and these are now being used for drinking water. In Kanchanpalli village of Lingapur mandal, families depend on one such well for daily needs.

Pendore Ramnuy of Utnoor said villagers were struggling as rivulets and streams had dried up, leaving borewells and wells as the only option. Women spend long hours at waterbodies morning and evening to collect drinking water.

District collector K. Haritha has directed officials to restore wells and repair borewells where groundwater levels have fallen drastically. Gram panchayats are supplying water by tanker to villages worst affected, but many habitations remain cut off from Mission Bhagiratha due to pipeline damage.

Officials admit the drinking water problem will worsen this season as streams and rivulets are expected to dry completely with rising temperatures.

Health workers warn of waterborne disease risks as families consume untreated water from wells. They stress the need for chlorination and regular testing, but resources remain limited.

Community leaders in Utnoor and Indravelli have appealed for more tanker trips and quicker borewell restoration, noting that women and children spend hours fetching water instead of attending school or earning wages.

The crisis is severe in Kerameri, Jainoor, Lingapur, Sirpur (U), Utnoor, Indravelli, Sirikonda, Gadiguda, Nanoor and Adilabad Rural mandals, where irregular supply under Mission Bhagiratha has compounded the shortage.

Meteorological reports predict temperatures will climb further in April and May, raising fears that the groundwater table will sink even lower. Unless Mission Bhagiratha pipelines are restored swiftly, dependence on wells and borewells will continue, leaving tribal households vulnerable through the peak of summer.