Telangana: Pits continue as reliable sources of drinking water for people in Asifabad

'Chelamas' dug in riverbeds and streambeds quench the thirst of villagers residing in remote and hilly areas of the district; provide drinking water for at least three months a year

Kumram Bheem Asifabad: ‘Chelama’ or pits dug in the beds of rivers, streams and rivulets continue to quench the thirst of villagers in several parts of the district.

Come summer, the pits become a ray of hope for people facing acute drinking water crisis. They live up to the expectations of the people residing in remote and hilly areas of the district by providing drinking water for at least three months a year, indicating their role in the lives of the rural folks.

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People from Shivaguda village in Keramari mandal are these days sourcing drinking water from a pit excavated in a streambed around 3 km from their village. Residents of Kushnepelli village in Bejjur mandal have been depending on pits found in a streambed near their village.

Residents of hilly village Agarguda in Penchikalpet mandal, Motlaguda, Kammargaon and Rampur villages in Dahegaon mandal dig pits in the riverbed of Peddavagu, a tributary of Pranahita river, every summer to stay hydrated. Many villages on both sides of Pranahita depend on the pits if they witness drinking water crisis. Some of them include Jilleda, Murliguda, Talai and Somini.

People belonging to at least five villages each in Tiryani, Jainoor, Sirpur (U), Lingapur, Asifabad, Wankidi and Rebbana mandals have no option but to rely on the pits situated in the streams. They need to trek longer distances to fetch drinking water from these pits, braving scorching heatwave conditions.

“We are forced to source unsafe water from the pits as we fail to get water from taps belonging to Mission Bhagiratha scheme. Motors installed to pump water to overhead tanks go defunct in summer. Open wells and borewells get dried up. The water in the pits is comparatively unsafe for drinking, but it is inevitable,” Athram Bapu, a tribal from Kammargaon village, said.

District Mission Bhagiratha in-charge Executive Officer Siddique said steps were being taken to address the drinking water crisis of villages situated in interior and hilly areas of the district. He stated that sufficient water was being supplied to the villages by hiring tankers hitched to tractors. He reasoned that some people were still habituated to drinking the water from the pits, risking their health.