G Ramesh Babu By

Express News Service

SRIKAKULAM: Seethanagaram, which is known for water crisis for the past several years, has earned another dubious distinction. People of nearby villages are refusing to give their daughters in marriage to boys in the village. Despite water problem affecting the people in many ways, neither elected representatives nor officials bother about the problem.

The people of Seethanagaram in Santabommali Mandal have been suffering from water crisis for more than four months now after the only drinking water scheme became defunct. As groundwater in the village is salty, villagers sunk a borewell at Peddamarripadu, which is 4 km from the village and diverting water by laying underground pipes.

An overhead tank was constructed in the village from where water is being supplied through public taps in the village. Since the water comes with low pressure, each family would get not more than two pots of water from the public taps. Similarly, the open well in the village has dried up while the borewell hand pumps have gone defunct. People, including daily wage workers, have been procuring mineral water cans daily for drinking purpose.

“We have to skip bath sometimes due to lack of water,” said N Kumar, a BSc second year student from the village.“We have been suffering from water crisis for the past several years. With no alternative, we have been procuring mineral water cans daily to drink water but preparing food with salt water,” said the student.

“As salt water comes from hand pumps and open wells, we have sunk a borewell at HN Peta, 3.5 km from our village about 15 years ago and diverted the water through pipelines with the panchayat grants,” said Rikka Babji, the village head.

“After a few years, water is available at the hand pump but it is salty. We sank another borewell at Peddamarripadu, which is also 4 km from the village,” he added.