Warangal: Many tribal hamlets in the agency belt in Jayashankar Bhupalapalli district are facing acute drinking water shortage.
The absence of proper drinking water supply in the interior areas, coupled with the drying up of all the water bodies in the surroundings and many hamlets in and around Kusuru, Kadekal, Eppapuram and Pallekapaka of Vajedu and Venkatapuram mandals has left people struggling to find even a pot of water.
Most of these tribal hamlets are dependent on small streams in their for drinking water.
But due to the harsh summer, these streams have dried up.
The nearby river Godavari, too, has almost dried up and now resembles a small stream.
Women of Soyamvari gumpu tribe are forced to walk several kilometres through the jungle in search of water. They make do by digging small ditches in the riverbed of the Godavari from which they get a little water that they carry back home in their pots. They are afraid they may not find even this much of water in the coming days.
The villagers of Kusuru and Kadekal and Palipaka allege that officials are not taking any action to address their woes. Only one tanker is being sent to these villages that have a population over 400 families.
“All our water sources have dried up. The hand pump does not give water anymore. The handful of drinking water wells have dried up and only a little water is left in them. The officials are sending only one water tanker to the village every day and it is not sufficient for all of us. We have to fight among ourselves to get water. Even after all this we do not get even 10 litres per house,” said D. Nagesh of Kusuru.
In Kadekal village, there is only one drinking water well that is almost dry and the water has turned dirty. Due to acute shortage of water, some people found no other option but to draw the dirty water. Those who drank that water fell ill and struck from fever.
The residents of these areas are appealing to the officials to take notice of their troubles and take required steps and sate.
