Visakhapatnam: With the upcoming Bhogapuram International (BI) Airport driving rapid urbanisation in the surrounding areas, the Department of Rural Water Supply (RWS) has plans to supply surface water to the surrounding mandals – Anandapuram, Padmanabham, Bheemili and Pendurthi. These mandals depend on borewells for their water supply. As a result, their yields fluctuate and there are contamination risks. However, with urban infrastructure expanding around the airport, officials are anticipating a surge in both population and commercial activities.
RWS executive engineer K.V.V. Chowdary of S.S. Division in Visakhapatnam, said, “Currently, water in these four mandals is sourced from borewells and pumped into overhead tanks for distribution. However, borewells have risks, such as contamination and inconsistent yields. Therefore, we plan to shift to surface water sources, similar to how urban areas receive treated water from reservoirs.”
Chowdary disclosed that the department has prepared estimates to draw surface water from the Meghadrigedda reservoir and Yeleru canal, following the Greater Visakhapatnam Municipal Corporation (GVMC) model. Once approvals are received, the department plans to complete the surface water supply project within two years from the start date. Addressing challenges in rural water management, the RWS executive engineer said, “Earlier, people used to be careful with water usage. They filled a few vessels and used water judiciously. With tap water available, many people leave the taps on after use, leading to wastage and low pressure at households located further away from the tanks.”
To tackle this issue, the RWS department is conducting awareness campaigns to educate residents on the importance of water conservation and consequences of wastage. According to Chowdary, there are currently 251 overhead and ground-level storage tanks serving 59,811 households across these four mandals. Of these, 38,218 households have already been provided domestic tap connections. The department aims to extend the piped water supply to the remaining households by next year, he added.
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