Visakhapatnam: They trek 2 km to quench their thirst

Visakhapatnam: Summer months are generally the most dreaded period for those residing at nondescript villages of Visakhapatnam Agency area. But for those at T Arjapuram village in Cheemalapadu panchayat, water woes continue to bother them throughout the year. Since granite mining activities are carried out close to the hamlet, people of this village are deprived of safe drinking water for years.

Tribal families in the village fall sick frequently due to lack of access to safe drinking water.

Located at Ravikamatham mandal, the locals are largely dependent on the wells to meet their drinking and cooking needs. "However, even the existing wells are polluted due to the mining activities that take place quite often here. All we get is a pot of polluted water to quench our thirst," rues Pangi Jaswanth, president of the Tribal Association.

Even to fetch a pot of muddy water, the locals have to trek a stretch of minimum 2 kilometres from their village. "There is no road access to the hamlet. We keep falling sick every other day and to avail medical treatment, doli (a makeshift stretcher) is the only means of transport for us," lament the women in the village.

In the year 2018-19, Rs 90 lakh was sanctioned for BT road by the Panchayat Raj Department. "But the funds were withdrawn as the works did not take off," shares K Govinda Rao, honorary president of Andhra Pradesh Girijana Sangham Fifth Schedule Sadhana Committee.

Despite repeated representations, the villagers say that the authorities concerned fail to pay any heed to their concerns. Very recently, women of the village tried to draw the attention of the officials concerned by kneeling down on the ground, carrying the water containers over their head.