Chittoor gears up for elections to Water Users Associations

Chittoor: Political atmosphere is heating up in Chittoor district as the elections to Water Users Associations (WUAs) are set to be held next month, marking the end of a five-year hiatus.

District Collector Sumit Kumar announced the election schedule, with the process slated for completion by November 27. This election will cover 220 WUAs across the district, a long-awaited development after years of neglect.

The last WUA elections were held in 2015, with their tenure expiring in 2020. However, the subsequent YSRCP government did not address the issue, leading to a deterioration in the maintenance of local water bodies and irrigation systems. The NDA government, fulfilling an election promise, has now revived the process, shortening the election timeline from 90 to 40 days.

Chittoor District Water Resources Department Superintendent Engineer P Vijayakumar Reddy, explained the scope of the WUAs. “We have one medium project – the Krishna Puram reservoir, which involves five WUAs and 115 other minor irrigation tanks under 115 WUAs,” he pointed out. The associations play a critical role in ensuring proper water flow and maintaining tanks and canals.

The election process officially began on Monday and key deadlines have been set. The draft voter list will be published on October 31, with the final list confirmed by November 3 after considering any objections. A revised voter list, if necessary, will be released between November 18 and 20. The elections are scheduled for November 21-23, with results to be declared the same day.

The return of WUA elections has been welcomed by farmers and association members alike. “The lack of maintenance caused canals and tanks to clog, severely damaging agriculture,” one farmer noted. “We hope that with the revival of the WUAs, proper maintenance will resume, bringing much-needed relief to the farming community,” he said.