Chittoor faces drinking water scarcity

Chittoor: Due to lack of perennial  rivers in and around  Chittoor city,  ground water levels were receded drastically during the past  three decades in Chittoor city.  As a result, people have been facing acute drinking water scarcity and they are forced to purchase water from private tankers.

The city with 50 divisions, has a population of 2.4 lakhs. Majority of the people purchase drinking water from private suppliers including mineral water units The Chittoor Municipal  Corporation has failed to supply  drinking water to the city due to funds crunch and other reasons.

The private tankers are  charging  Rs.10 per three pots of water from the public , where water business has become  lucrative. The CMC  is able to supply only  11 lakh MLD (million litres per day) water against the requirement of   22.7 lakhs MLD water through bore wells and by pumping water from N T R Jalasayam. 

After three decades of drinking water scarcity, it was decided to launch Chittoor Water Supply Scheme at Adivipalli  for diverting  HNSS (Handri-Neeva Sujala Sravanti) water to  Chittoor city with an estimated cost of Rs.280 crore by using AMRUT funds. The TDP Government had earlier assured supply of HNSS water to Chittoor before December-2018.

Source reveal that the proposal was dropped as Central Government had reportedly  objected the diversion of AMRUT funds to Chittoor water supply scheme .  Speaking to The Hans India here on Sunday,  Chittoor  Mayor K Hemalatha admitted that there was no scope for supplying HNSS water to Chittoor city in near future as Central Government was restricting not to divert  AMRUT  funds.