The Hindu : Andhra Pradesh News : Minister for proper strategy to streamline drinking water supply

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Friday, Jan 07, 2005

Andhra Pradesh

Andhra Pradesh

Minister for proper strategy to streamline drinking water supply

By Our Staff Reporter

HYDERABAD, JAN. 6. The Minister for Municipal Administration, Koneru Ranga Rao, on Thursday said the State Government was taking up several steps to ensure proper water supply but was not getting the desired results due to lack of suitable strategy, improper maintenance of water sources and poor management of the work force involved in the process. Efforts were on to do away with these glitches.

Inaugurating the three-day 37th annual convention of the Indian Water Works Association (IWWA) at the APSRTC Kalabhavan here, he described the Krishna Drinking Water Supply Project a "monument". He said the second phase of the project would get underway shortly. The Government had taken up the issue of supplying proper drinking water in the twin cities and the State as a challenge, he said.

Curbing wastage

The Principal Secretary (Municipal Administration), S.R. Rao, calling for an introspection into the efforts made to ensure that water reached each and everyone of the Indian population, said it was a matter of national shame that only 60 per cent of the water from the source reached the end users.

With international agencies including the World Bank making it clear that they would no more pump funds "to fill a leaking bucket", urgent measures had to be taken up to address the 40 per cent loss, he said.

Quality of water

Mr. Rao, citing a recent incident at Prodattur where over 100 people contracted gastroenteritis due to consumption of contaminated water, said questions on quality of drinking water being supplied were cropping up. This was for engineers and water professionals to sort out, he said.

Social equity too was a major problem, Mr. Rao said, pointing out that poor people in rural areas were paying thrice the amount paid by their urban counterparts for water.

The IWWA president, B.J. Vasavada, also spoke. Engineers and water professionals from across the country are attending the convention.

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