3,438 Habitations In 332 Mandals Likely To Face Summer Water Shortage
The state government has advised district collectors to take precautionary steps and avoid drinking water problems in their regions during the summer months.
Vijayawada:The state government has advised district collectors to take precautionary steps and avoid drinking water problems in their regions during the summer months.
On Thursday, chief secretary K Vijayanand held a video conference with the collectors from the state secretariat and explained to them the summer action plan for drinking water supply as also for the Swarnandhra and Swachhandhra programmes.
He said 3,438 habitations in 332 mandals are likely to face summer water shortage and the summer action plan would involve a cost of Rs 67.31 crore. Since hot weather conditions and hot winds are likely to prevail in various regions in the coming days, the collectors must ensure adequate preparedness and localised plans to tackle the heat wave conditions.
Vijayanand said the drinking water needs should be met by supplying water through tankers in drought-affected zones. Collectors can enlist private drinking water sources and take these on lease basis if necessary. Efforts should be made to solve the drinking water problem by rehabilitating and repairing temporary water supply systems, filling drinking water tanks with water, and repairing hand pumps, he told the collectors.
He said special monitoring cells should be set up at the state and district levels to receive complaints on drinking water issues. The local authorities should respond to these in a timely manner. Complaints on drinking water, which are received through the Public Grievance Redressal System, various media units, the drought monitoring cell and Contact Centre Toll-Free Number -1902 “should be responded to immediately and resolved in a timely manner.”
Vijayanand said all summer storage tanks should be filled with water, canals should be blocked in coordination with the water resources department, and water be pumped into wells to the full. Steps like flushing and deepening of bore wells should be taken in areas that are dependent on groundwater.
As per his instructions, complaints cells would be set up in every urban local body to receive grievances from people on drinking water. These complaints should be resolved in a timely manner. Special cold storage centres would be set up in required areas with the help of donors. Collectors have also been asked to take strict measures to prevent the spread of diseases due to water pollution.
Later, reviewing the Swarnandhra and Swachhandhra programmes, the CS said efforts should be made to keep all offices and surroundings clean by organising Swachhandhra Day without fail every month. Special attention should be paid to the proper management of various electronic waste (e-waste) and awareness should be created among the people.
Principal secretary Mukesh Meena, MD of APIIC Abhishek Kishore and MD of Swachhandhra Corporation Anil Reddy participated in the video conference, while collectors and other officials participated in virtual mode.
