Highlights: The irate residents of Mecca village in Kamareddy district stage protest to solve their drinking water problem

Inset under photo: Villagers staging a protest on Setlur-Bichkunda main road for water; Young people walk tens of miles in the Gandhari mandal for drinking water.

Nizamabad: While the temperatures are rising with every passing day, the residents of Jukkal and Ellareddy constituencies are struggling to quench their thirst as the drinking water is not available in their villages due to the failure of Mission Bhagiratha.

The RWS officials are working hard to supply water to the villages by renting agricultural wells. Attempts by the officials to supply water to tribal Thanda are also failing due to erratic power supply and a faulty pipeline that has been temporarily installed. This has led to disputes between local representatives, officials and villagers.

On Sunday, residents of Mecca village in Bhichukunda mandal staged Rasta Roko, demanding a solution to the drinking water problem in their village. The villagers alleged that the water supply under the Mission Bhagiratha has stopped to the village since last week. They said that Mission Bhagiratha water was supplied till last two weeks ago but the sewage was released without treatment. The village women alleged that the issue of drinking water was brought to the notice of the RWS, gram panchayat secretary, sarpanch and the concerned officials as the contaminated water was coming from the Mission Bhagiratha pipes but to no avail. Villagers are protesting on the Bhichukunda-Setlur road convey the people about their problem.

They villagers said that they had to walk several kilometers from Mecca village to bring the drinking water. Authorities rented an agricultural borewell in Setluru village to set up a drinking water facility. The pipeline from Setlur village to Mecca village was temporarily laid. The water supply was disrupted due to the use of a faulty pipeline which had to be repaired frequently for days last week. With this the authorities restored the water supply by tanker. Officials say they have been supplying water four times a day for the past two days. Officials said the water supply was disrupted as only a single phase power supply was available on Saturday.

“We have drilled tens of boreholes to solve the drinking water problem in Mecca village. All are failed. Water is not being supplied from those borewells as fluoride and salt water are making the water unfit for drinking,” the officials said.

The sarpanch said that water was being supplied by the tanker. The people alleged that the sarpanch is the only one to use the water from the well set up by the government. Mission Bhagiratha systems are undergoing frequent repairs in Kamareddy district. Water problem arises in villages.

As the drinking water problem in the village of Mecca worsened, the villagers marched with empty pots to the village of Setluru, six kilometers away, demanding a solution to the drinking water problem in the village. The villagers are demanding action against the sarpanch, panchayat secretary and officials for neglecting water supply.