AP govt SOP to prevent diarrhoea outbreaks: Pipelines through drains must be shifted immediately

Vijayawada: The municipal administration department has issued strict instructions mandating precautionary measures. A detailed Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) has been rolled out to ensure the supply of safe, uncontaminated drinking water. The department warned that municipal commissioners will be held accountable if contamination is reported in their respective Urban Local Bodies (ULBs).The directives followed chief mnister Chandrababu Naidu's review of sporadic gastroenteritis and diarrhoeal cases in certain towns. Expressing serious concern, the CM urged all departments to respond with urgency, coordination, and accountability. He stressed that access to safe drinking water is a fundamental public service obligation and warned that lapses affecting public health would be treated with utmost seriousness.Acting on these directions, the municipal administration department ordered commissioners to immediately inspect drinking water pipelines across towns and cities. "If any pipelines are found passing through drainage lines, they must be shifted without delay. Take up desiltation works to prevent stagnation of sewage water in drains," instructed S Suresh Kumar, principal secretary (municipal administration and urban development).He mandated the establishment of 24×7 control rooms in all municipalities to handle complaints related to drinking water and seasonal diseases. He cautioned that negligence in water supply management or drain cleaning would invite strict accountability for commissioners and field-level staff.Suresh Kumar observed that recent incidents exposed systemic shortcomings in water supply management, chlorination practices, pipeline maintenance, and drainage upkeep. Such deficiencies, he noted, cannot be dismissed as routine lapses but must be treated as serious administrative failures with direct public health implications.