Water wars may turn into bitter faction feuds

95% of 1,575 villages and some urban areas, including Kurnool city, in grip of water crisis
For representational purposes
For representational purposes

KURNOOL: Almost all interior pockets of the district, especially in Kurnool and Adoni revenue divisions, are struggling to get potable water. The water battles are virtually turning into prestige issues. The people are even fearing that the situation might even lead to faction violence. 
Surya Maddilety, a resident of Ulchala, explaining his plight, said the grudge among the villagers is likely to transform into faction attacks. “Our village is located on Kurnool city outskirts. Though it is close to Tungabhadra River, we are getting water once in a week,” he said. 

The people are quarrelling with one another at the public taps when water is supplied once in a week by grama panchayats, he added. 
 Even, in river bed villages along Tungabhadra, Kundu and Handri rivers, which have already dried up, the people are depending on  ‘chalimalu’ (water pits) for drinking water. 

Almost 95 per cent of total 1,575 villages, including major urban areas like Kurnool city, are in grip of water crisis. Long dry spell and erratic rainfall in the last monsoon have resulted in depletion of groundwater. At a time when acute water shortage has started gripping the district, several public wells, dug up to ensure water supply throughout the year, are crying for the authorities’ attention. With tube wells lying defunct and water sources drying up, people are being forced have to walk to ponds to fetch drinking water. 

Protected drinking water supply schemes, which were almost set up in all villages spending crores of rupees to give solace to the perennially water-starved villages, have proved to be a failure. Most of the schemes are supplying water only for a few days. All projects and schemes are not supplying water promptly, villagers say.

At some places, the people are being forced to walk for several kilometres to fetch potable water while at some others, people are falling sick on account of drinking contaminated water in streams and canals. 
The people are literally fighting for water in several mandals like Alur, Halaharvi, Koutalam, Holagunda in Alur constituency, Aspari and Yemmiganur in Yemmiganur constituency, Mantralayam and Nandavaram in Mantralayam constituency, Pyapili and Krishnagiri mandals in Dhone constituency, Gudur and C Belagal in Kodumur constituency, Devanakonda at Tuggili mandals in Pattikonda constituency, Kallur in Panyam constituency, Srisailam, Atmakur, Pamulapadu and Jupadubungla in Srisailam constituency.

Many schemes only on paper
The government has been implementing several schemes for resolving the drinking water problem in the district which has a population of about 50 lakh. But majority of them are confined to records alone. The government has arranged for 14,000 hand pumps, 2,500 PWS schemes and 520 CPWS schemes apart from taking up several works under Swajaladhara, Ambedkar Jeevandhara, Hudco Finance and 14th finance plan.

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