The Deputy Commissioner K.V. Rajendra on Monday instructed the officials at all taluks in the district to ensure drinking water availability in villages and areas affected by drought.
Chairing the District Disaster Management Authority meeting he said summer had already set in and some of the taluks were declared drought-affected where the water scarcity would be more severe. Hence, all measures should be taken to ensure that water supply was not affected at any cost, said Mr. Rajendra.
The officials were instructed to keep a tab on water availability and demand and also identify villages and areas that were water-stressed and prone to severe drinking water scarcity.
The Deputy Commissioner instructed that one private bore well should be hired in every village for harnessing the ground water and an agreement should be entered with the owners.
Noting that the elections were around the corner, Mr. Rajendra instructed the officials to call for tenders to hire water tankers. The Health Department officials were told to coordinate to ensure that the water supplied was of acceptable standards. In addition, instructions were issued to open helpline manned by staff to receive complaints pertaining to water scarcity.
Calling to map the areas where new borewells needed to be installed, Mr. Rajendra said officials should tour drought-affected areas and also ensure that there was no shortage of fodder for animals.
The officials were also instructed to conduct a review meeting at the taluk levels to secure information related to water availability, fodder for cattle, fertiliser availability, etc. Additional Deputy Commissioner of Police, Shivaraj, MCC Commissioner Ashaad-Ur-Rehman-Sharief, and others were present.
