The Hindu : Andhra Pradesh News : Plan ready to mitigate water scarcity

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Sunday, Feb 24, 2008
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Andhra Pradesh

Andhra Pradesh

Plan ready to mitigate water scarcity

Staff Reporter

Kakinada: The Kakinada Municipal Corporation (KMC), at its emergency meeting here on Saturday, unanimously approved the contingency plan which is aimed at mitigating drinking water scarcity in the summer. A sum of Rs. 72.45 lakhs is required for implementing the plan that includes digging of two deep borewells in each one of the 50 divisions, reviving the pumping systems at Aratlakatla and Victoria water works and plugging leakages to pipelines to conserve water. These measures were necessitated by the annual closure of canals linked to the river Godavari which is the main source of drinking water to the city and surrounding habitations.This year the canals are scheduled to be closed for 70 days from April 10. Till the canals are reopened, drinking water supply to the city will be reduced to meet the deficit. The main reservoirs at Samalkot and Aratlakatla are estimated to meet 45 days’ requirement only. Mayor K. Saroja, who chaired the meeting, asked Commissioner A. Sivakoti Prasad to take the necessary steps to deal with the situation.

Earlier, pandemonium prevailed at the meeting as TDP corporators blamed the Mayor for her alleged negligence in not taking action against the civic officials who had purchased tractors purportedly without her knowledge in December 2007. The Congress corporators supported the Mayor resulting in chaos.

Probe assured

When the heated exchanges subsided, Mayor Saroja said she would constitute a committee to look into the entire deal. Differences between the rival factions of Mayor Saroja and Kakinada MLA Mutha Gopalakrishna once again came to the fore when some Congress corporators, owing allegiance to the civic chief, sought to know why there was no information from the MLA camp about the development works proposed in Ananda Bharati grounds in Kakinada city.

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