ADILABAD: High temperatures prevailing in erstwhile Adilabad district are drying up drinking water sources, particularly in interior and hilly areas much before the onset of summer. Reports of water shortage have already started emerging from areas like Gadeguda, Narnoor, Indravelli, Utnoor, Kerameri, Lingapur, Sipur (U), Bajarhathnoor, Boath, Ichoda, Srinikonda and Tiryani.
Women and men of some villages, particularly in hilly areas, are trekking for long distances to fetch drinking water from streams and rivulets. Many are transporting water in plastic drums on bullock carts.
As temperatures are rising day by day, there are also fears of heat waves emerging.
State government is supplying potable drinking water under Mission Bhagiratha to several villages. But their residents are not showing interest in this water complaining that it is smelly. This could be because pipelines need repairs. What people are doing is use bore-well water for drinking purposes and utilise Mission Bhagiratha for washing, cleaning and other purposes.
Panchayatraj and rural water supply departments have not yet taken steps to address drinking water shortage by supplying drinking water in tankers to identified villages. Arrangements will have to be made in this regard, as there have been instances in the past of people falling sick because of drinking water collected from abandoned wells or cooking food using such water.
Vasanth Rao of Gadeguda said it is high time officials concerned start supplying clean drinking water under Mission Bhagiratha to interior villages facing drinking water shortages.
