GVMC survey identifies 22K households without tap connections

VISAKHAPATNAM: According to a recent door-to-door survey conducted by Greater Visakhapatnam Municipal Corporation about 22,000 households in Vizag city still lack household water tap connections.

This deficiency can be attributed to either the absence of necessary supply infrastructure in certain areas or discrepancies in property assessment numbers or permission status.

To rectify this situation, the GVMC is implementing projects under the Atal Mission for Rejuvenation and Urban Transformation (AMRUT) to provide water tap connections to these 22,000 households. These households will be integrated into the water supply network within the next six months.

GVMC commissioner P Sampath Kumar said that the state govt had mandated the corporation to submit a report detailing the number of households without water tap connections and any existing shortcomings in the water supply infrastructure.

"In response, the civic body conducted a comprehensive gap analysis survey. Through this door-to-door assessment, comparing tap connection data with property assessment numbers, the GVMC identified that nearly 22,000 households were not connected to the water supply network. While some areas lacked the required infrastructure, other households are facing issues related to assessment numbers and permissions. The corporation is taking proactive steps to address these concerns by expanding the network to underserved areas and resolving technical issues. Specific initiatives will be launched by relevant departments to address these concerns," said Sampath Kumar.

"The GVMC is currently supplying approximately 115 litres per capita daily (LPCD) to the city's residents, against the prescribed 135 LPCD. This represents the highest per capita water supply among all civic bodies in Andhra Pradesh. This achievement is due to surplus water reserves and supplies from the city's diverse water supply sources. Vizag city receives around 400 million litters per day (MLD) of water for both industrial and domestic use, with the majority allocated for drinking water supply. The civic body is also planning to reassess and review the nearly 8000 public water tap connections in the city," added Sampath Kumar.

Meanwhile, the civic body has recently relocated water pipelines that cross city drains to prevent waterborne diseases. Amidst the ongoing reports of waterborne diseases in various parts of the state, the civic body has increased the frequency of water sampling from raw water sources, treated water, and at the final supply points. Water samples are analysed three times daily, both before and after treatment. And 2,000 tail endpoints are also tested daily for water quality.


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