Drinking water crisis deepens in Guntur

GUNTUR: The inhabitants living within the Guntur Municipal Corporation (GMC) limits are facing severe drinking water problem due to falling ground water tables. People are depending on water tankers to augment water supply in their apartment complexes as borewells are not yielding water.The main reason for depletion of water tables this year in Guntur city is due to bad rainfall and continuous dry spell, said A Rama Krishna Reddy, deputy director of ground water department. Guntur city is divided into two ground water basins, Chandramouli Nagar basin and Gujjanagundla basin.When compared to March, 2011, the water table had declined to 33.07 metres from 9.17 metres in Gujjanagundla, while water levels were depleted to 50.01 metres from 15.60 metres at Chandramouli Nagar.Following depletion of ground water levels, borewells in many areas in the city failed to supply water and residents are now depending upon water tankers for their daily needs. Interestingly many of the areas where drinking water is supplied through tankers are named after great personalities like Krishnababu colony (who worked here as commissioner earlier and now is commissioner of Grater Hyderabad municipal corporation) and Chandrababu Naidu colony (after former chief minister).At present, the GMC supplies 350 tankers a day to 70 colonies including 29 slums which are facing acute shortage of water. About 20 per cent of the total slums (120) in the city have no pipelines. The GMC is supplying 20 MLD water as against the requirement of 50 MLD. Those living in in Bongaralabeedu, Vasantarayapuram, Kakumanuvaritota, Vallurivaritota, Nehrunagar, Sitanagar, Mangaldasnagar, Cobldpet, Ambedkarnagar and other areas are facing severe problems following short supply. “We have to wait upto midnight to collect water. The GMC has failed to supply adequate water to slums”, said R Vinayakamma, a resident of Mangaldasnagar slum.Speaking to Express GMC commissioner K Sudhakar said, that they were taking steps to supply drinking water to cater to the needs of all the citizens. But, ground water exploitation is high in the city, he added.