Nizamabad: Drinking water problems have increased in rural and urban areas in composite Nizamabad district. People are unable to get drinking water in around 455 habitations in Nizamabad and Kamareddy districts. People, especially women go to faraway places to fetch water.
Rural water supply and Sanitation Department officials have identified 125 villages in Nizamabad district and 330 villages in Kamareddy district as having acute water shortage. Depletion of ground water table has affected submersible pumps in villages. As a result, protected drinking water schemes have become defunct.
On the other hand, frequent cuts in power supply have also adversely affected the drinking water supply in rural areas and therefore people are forced to depend on agriculture bore wells to get drinking water for their daily needs. By engaging tractors, villagers are bringing water for domestic needs. Mission Bhagiratha water supply on experimental basis is restricted to a few villages only.
People in municipal towns have also been facing similar drinking water problem. Residents in colonies on the outskirts and other localities in Nizamabad municipal corporation, Bodhan, Armoor, Kamareddy and Banswada municipal towns are facing water problems.
In Bodhan municipality, officials have restricted drinking water supply. They are supplying water on alternative day basis in Bodhan town. Water sources to the town have dried up and officials are depending on submersible pump sets. Due to depletion in ground water table, submersible pump sets are also not working properly.
Under these circumstances, people are forced to purchase water from purified water plants. Rs 10 to Rs 20 is being charged for a 20 litres bottle of water.
In view of severe shortage of water, people in a few areas are buying the water for drinking as well as domestic needs. A few unauthorised water plants supplying just purified water for higher prices have come up and as a result buying of water has become an additional burden on people.the lower middle and poor families in urban areas.
