Women Protest Near Ravikamatham For Drinking Water
They have been struggling for years without a reliable source of potable water
Visakhapatnam: Women belonging to Garnikam Colony of Ravikamatham in Anakapalli district staged a protest carrying empty water pots on Saturday to highlight the acute drinking water crisis gripping their community.
The colony, located barely half a kilometre from the mandal headquarters, is home to 30 families. They have been struggling for years without a reliable source of potable water.
Despite installation of household taps under the Jal Jeevan Mission three years ago, not a single drop of water has flowed through them. They taps have remained symbolic fixtures, rather than functional lifelines.
The residents rely on three hand pumps, but only two of them yield water after strenuous manual pumping. The situation is particularly difficult for elderly, who are unable to endure the physical strain.
Many residents are forced to forego their daily-wage work just to secure drinking water.
The protesting women have warned that if their problem is not resolved immediately, they will escalate their agitation by demonstrating in front of the Mandal Development Office.
Vyavasaya Karmika Sangam and Kula Vyatireka Porata Samiti have expressed their solidarity with the protestors for supply of drinking water to every household in the Garnikam Colony.
