The Hindu : Andhra Pradesh / Vijayawada News : VMC meet flooded by water woes

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Tuesday, May 25, 2004

Andhra Pradesh

Andhra Pradesh - Vijayawada

VMC meet flooded by water woes

By Our Staff Reporter

VIJAYAWADA, MAY 24. Acute water shortage in the city rocked the Vijayawada Municipal Corporation general body meet here on Monday. Vociferous protests by corporators coupled with demonstrations outside the council hall dominated the proceedings throughout the day. Once the debate on water shortage started, all other major issues were shelved for the day. The Communist Party of India (CPI) activists staged a dharna with empty water pots outside the meeting hall. CPI city secretary, Koraganji Sekhar Babu, former MLA, Kakarlapudi Subba Raju and Mahila Samakya leader, Tadi Sakuntala, who led the agitators, charged the VMC officials with gross negligence.

Making a representation to the Mayor, Panchumarthy Anuradha, and Municipal Commissioner, V.Usharani, the CPI leaders questioned the inaction of officials despite an intimation from the Irrigation Department on the depletion of water at the Prakasam barrage well in advance. CPI woman corporators, Ejjada Lakshmi, Raayi Rangamma and Avanigadda Sunitha, accorded a novel welcome to the Mayor into the council hall by arranging rows of empty pots at the entrance. And, when the topic actually came up for discussion in the general body meeting, the Left and Congress party corporators grilled the Commissioner on the officials' "utter neglect", which precipitated the crisis.

Usharani tried to defend the corporation's moves, claiming that water scarcity was a common feature during summer and there was no negligence on the part of the officials. The officials only fixed new motors for pumping out water following the Irrigation Department's intimation, she said.

According to her, the problem started after the water level at the barrage suddenly dropped during the first week of this month, making the water pumped into the treatment plants turbid. The corporation, however, sought the advice of experts on the quality of water supplied, she added.

Water could be drawn from different borewells at the Bhavanipuram head waterworks if necessary even as advertisements had been issued cautioning people to filter and boil water before consuming it. Over one lakh chlorine tablets have been purchased for distribution, she said adding the corporation was doing "everything it could'' to resolve the crisis.

Dissatisfied with the reply, the CPI(M) floor leader, Ch.Babu Rao, alleged that water shortage in the city arose because of the failure of the officials to understand the gravity of the situation. While decline in water supply to the tune of about 10 per cent could be explained, the corporation's failure in gauging the situation was evident from the fact that several areas faced shortage in supply to the tune of over 60 per cent.

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