PVTG Women Brave Cyclone to Fetch Drinking Water
With the village flooded and no piped water supply, residents are collecting water from an agricultural canal, risking waterborne diseases.
Visakhapatnam:Even as cyclone Montha battered North Andhra, women from the Particularly Vulnerable Tribal Group (PVTG) of the Kondu community in Kalyan Lowa village, Ravikamatham mandal, Anakapalle district, were forced to walk nearly a kilometre in heavy rain, holding umbrellas, to fetch drinking water.
With the village flooded and no piped water supply, residents are collecting water from an agricultural canal, risking waterborne diseases. “Every time someone falls ill, we spend up to `5,000 on treatment,” said Gemila Bangaramma.
The villagers had lodged a formal complaint with the district collector on April 25 through the PGRS. Under the Jal Jeevan Mission, a water tank was constructed and taps were installed six months ago, but no water has been supplied so far.
Rural water supply officials said the tank is yet to be handed over to the Panchayat. Despite instructions from the panchayat secretary to expedite the process, the handover remains pending.
Residents of Kalyan Lowa, Ajaypuram, and P. Kotnabelli, including Gamela Sunitha, G. Bangaramma, G. Raju Vasu, Prasad, and P. Chandraiah, urged authorities to immediately operationalise the water tanks and ensure access to safe drinking water without further delay.
