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Andhra Pradesh
Villages near Krishna river go thirsty
G. Ravi Kiran
| Jobless get a chance to make a living |
The locals depend on water brought from outside
Suppliers can water at Guntupalli located on NH9
VIJAYAWADA: Ketanakonda is a village situated hardly two km away from the Krishna river, but its residents have no access to clean drinking water.
The problem, which can be found in scores of its surrounding villages too, has created an opportunity for some local unemployed youth to earn a living by fetching drinking water from a distance in containers and sell each five-litre can for Rs. 5.
Located not too far from the city on National Highway No. 9, Ketanakonda is home to hundreds of families that live on agriculture, some of who are slowly turning to jobs in nearby factories and also in the city.
Taking up jobs
With the ground water in the village not being potable, the locals depend on the water brought from outside. Mostly, suppliers can water at Guntupalli, which is also on National Highway- 9 and located at a distance of 15 kms from Ketanakonda, and bring the cans by auto-rickshaws.
Sometimes, suppliers pay a nominal sum to the staff working at water tanks to fill the cans.
Good demand
“There is a good demand for water in Ketanakonda and other villages.
I have been supplying water for the last two years.
I make Rs. 100 to Rs. 200 a day,” says autorickshaw driver K.L. Prasad.
The vehicle he runs is slightly bigger than a seven-seat auto-rickshaw.
He draws water at public stand posts in Guntupalli. Besides Ketanakonda, other villages that need water are Jupudi, Satyanarayanapuram, Kotikalapudi, Mulapadu and Paritala.
The demand is quite huge and the number of auto-rickshaw drivers turning to sale of drinking water has been on the increase recently, as a family takes a can of water for use only for two to three days.
They supply water on monthly basis as well as on retail basis at Re 1 a litre.
Health awareness
Local people say that nearly two hundered auto-rickshaws pick up water at Guntupalli and surrounding villages for sale to residents of Ketananakonda area.
In view of the increasing health awareness, most residents of Ketanakonda prefer buying safe water available through various sources rather than depending on water drawn from local borewells.
An auto-rickshaw driver says many people ask for ‘mineral water’ and they do not bother to spend a rupee extra for the sake of drinking safe water.
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