People dismiss YSRCP claim on clean water: Vijayasai Reddy

Amaravati: The YSRCP on Monday claimed the state had witnessed a drastic decline in typhoid and diarrhoea cases after the drinking water supply has been improved. However, people in several parts of the state say that they continue to be deprived of the filtered drinking water.

Senior YSRCP leader and Rajya Sabha Member V Vijayasai Reddy said typhoid and diarrhoea cases in Andhra Pradesh have reduced by more than 60 per cent in 2020 compared to 2019.

He said the state saw 4.6 lakh diarrhoea cases in 2019 which fell to 1.58 lakh in 2020.

Among all the districts, Chittoor accounted for the highest number of diarrhoea cases, 23,013, while West Godavari district saw 3,279. Likewise, from 28,000 cases, typhoid cases fell to 7,869. These statistics pertain to the period January to September, 2020.

Incidentally, the health department proactively monitored the containment of these diseases in the current year.

"Significant reduction in the number of cases is a result of supply of safe drinking water, proper sanitation and awareness campaign," claimed the MP.

However, Vijayasai Reddy's claim of supplying safe drinking water does not hold good across the state as large swathes of Andhra Pradesh are still deprived of filtered drinking water.

"Several villages in West Godavari district do not get filtered tap water. One can count many villages suffering from this scourge since decades," said Vantabathina Prakash, a resident of Kalla village near Bhimavaram.

Doddanapudi, Kalla, Seesali and many other villages do not have the facility of filtered drinking water due to decades of neglect from successive governments, including the current incumbent YSRCP.

Especially Kalla, a populous village, 12 km from Bhimavaram just has one small water tank which seldom supplies filtered water. The tank was built more than 30 years ago and was never upgraded, resulting in the supply of muddy water.

"This is not a new problem. We have been suffering from the supply of muddied water for more than 30 years already. Kalla village panchayati is of no use," lamented Kumar.

Even during Y S Jagan Mohan Reddy's padayatra which touched these villages in May 2018, many villagers showcased him the muddied water in plastic bottles but nothing has changed.

Due to this problem, most villagers are forced to buy filtered drinking water from enterprising people who saw a business potential in lack of filtered drinking water.

A few NGOs, such as Vegesna, Byraju and others, also sell filtered drinking water at subsidised prices.

Residents allege that the local TDP MLA Mantena Ramaraju or Narasapuram MP Kanumuru Raghu Rama Krishna Raju are not paying any attention to the lack of potable water in their constituencies.