AP Government’s ₹40-Crore Plan to Prevent Drinking Water Scarcity During Summer
Manpower and machinery have been kept ready to fill SS tanks whenever canal water is released
KURNOOL: With the summer fast approaching, Andhra Pradesh government has prepared a contingency plan to prevent drinking water scarcity across the state, particularly in Rayalaseema region.
As part of the plan, Rural Water Supply (RWS) department has identified 2,106 vulnerable habitations spread across 251 mandals. It has earmarked ₹40.47 crore to ensure uninterrupted drinking water supply to these mandals during the peak summer period.
Of these, ₹4.94 crore have been set aside for 384 vulnerable habitations in 28 drought-affected mandals. The remaining ₹35.53 crore will be used in 1,722 habitations within 223 non-drought mandals, which are prone to water shortages during the summer.
Under a special programme from February 2 to March 15, defunct borewells have been restored, water sources flushed, rural water supply infrastructure improved, motors and pipelines repaired, and non-functional drinking water schemes revived.
Drought-monitoring cells have been established at both the state and district levels. Complaints relating to drinking water supply are being received through the Public Grievance Redressal System (PGRS) as well as the toll-free helpline number 1902, officials of the RWS department said.
In areas of scarcity, drinking water is being supplied through tankers to ensure availability of minimum 15 litres of water per person per day. Depending on the requirement, authorities are also drawing water from private sources, laying temporary pipelines, and deepening borewells to improve water availability.
In addition, manpower and machinery have been kept ready to fill SS tanks whenever canal water is released.
These contingency measures will remain in force till the end of May to ensure that rural habitations do not face drinking water shortage.
Officials said mandals facing severe drinking water stress are largely located in districts, such as Kurnool, Sri Sathya Sai, Anantapur, Nandyal, Kadapa and Annamayya.
Summer Drinking Water Contingency Plan
Category Number of Mandals Estimated Cost
Drought mandals 28 ₹4.94 crore
Non-drought mandals 223 ₹35.53 crore
Total 251 ₹40.47 crore
