Rohit Kumar
Sri Vijaya Puram, 14 December 2024
During his recent visit to Middle Andaman, D. Ayyappan, Secretary of the CPI (M) State Organising Committee, engaged with villagers from Bakultala, Urmilapur, and Kaushalyanagar, who raised concerns about the persistent shortage of drinking water in their areas. The villagers pointed out that the water supply in these regions, part of the Betapur, Urmilapur, and Kaushalyanagar Gram Panchayats, is significantly delayed compared to other parts of the Andaman and Nicobar Islands.
Ayyappan, upon arriving at Sri Vijaya Puram, addressed the issue by sending a letter to the Chief Engineer of the Andaman Public Works Department (APWD), bringing attention to the situation. While drinking water is typically supplied to residents on alternate days throughout the islands, the three Gram Panchayats mentioned above receive water only once every three days, creating unnecessary hardship for the local population.
The water supply to these areas comes from a tank at Bakultala, which relies on water transported via an ageing pipeline from Panchawati, laid by the APWD several decades ago. According to Ayyappan, the pipeline, which runs through a forested region, suffers from leaks in multiple places, severely affecting the flow of water. Furthermore, no measures have been taken to protect the pipeline from damage caused by wild animals or miscreants, exacerbating the problem.
Currently, tankers are used to transport water from Panchawati to Bakultala, incurring substantial costs throughout the year. In his letter, Ayyappan criticised the lack of initiative from the authorities in addressing the issue and urged the Chief Engineer to take immediate action.
The CPI (M) Secretary has called for the replacement of the old pipeline with a new one to ensure an adequate and consistent water supply to the residents of Bakultala, Urmilapur, and Kaushalyanagar, alleviating the ongoing hardships faced by the thousands of villagers in these areas.