Adilabad drinking water supply under Mission Bhagiratha has fallen from 32 million litres per day (MLD) to 18.5 MLD, raising concerns over shortages for the municipality’s 2.20 lakh residents. Irrigation officials have said the supply is unlikely to exceed 20 MLD in the coming days.
Water for Adilabad municipality is supplied from the Sri Ram Sagar Project through Nirmal. Municipal authorities have proposed drawing additional water from the Korata-Chanaka canal as the town’s existing sources come under pressure.
The municipality’s storage tanks have a combined capacity of 14.5 MLD. Officials have acknowledged that some of this water is being lost through leakages at several points. The water bodies supplying the municipality are also nearing depletion, adding pressure to a system already receiving substantially less water from the main source.
Authorities recently repaired leakages in the 600-millimetre main pipelines supplying water under Mission Bhagiratha. One leakage had developed at a T-joint in the main pipeline because of high pressure. The repairs were intended to plug losses in the system, but the municipality continues to face a gap between available supply and demand.
To augment supplies, the municipality is planning to purchase 315-horsepower motors, construct a check dam at Landasangi village at a cost of ₹4 crore, and spend ₹25 lakh on materials required for borewells. It is also planning an additional water treatment plant costing ₹10 crore, using UCF funds.
In the interim, municipal authorities are sourcing 1.5 MLD from Mavala tank and 6 MLD from the Landasangi stream pump house, in addition to the supply received from the Sri Ram Sagar Project. The proposed use of the Korata-Chanaka canal is another measure being considered to address the shortfall.
Municipal chairperson Anusha Bandari said authorities were making serious efforts to ensure that the municipality did not face drinking water problems in the coming days. She said borewells were drying up after a sharp fall in the groundwater table in Adilabad town, which she attributed to the El Nino effect.
The municipality has asked residents, commercial complexes, hotels and vehicle-cleaning centres to avoid wasting water. Some private schools are also conducting awareness activities on water conservation, the effects of El Nino and the impact of drought on agriculture and drinking water sources.
Authorities are monitoring the misuse and wastage of water and have said necessary action will be taken. The immediate response will depend on maintaining the available pipeline supply, supplementing it through local sources and advancing the proposed infrastructure works.
