GVMC to relocate 398 water pipelines crossing drains

Visakhapatnam: To address ongoing concerns of waterborne disease outbreaks, particularly diarrhoea, in various parts of the state, the Greater Visakhapatnam Municipal Corporation (GVMC) is relocating water pipelines that cross city drains. This is to prevent drain water from contaminating the clean water supply, which was a common cause of outbreak of such diseases reported in other parts of the state in the last two months.The GVMC has identified 398 pipelines that intersect with drains and the civic body has already diverted 340 of them. The remaining work is expected to be completed within the next three to four days. To ensure water quality, frequency of water sampling, both from raw and treated sources, has been increased.GVMC commissioner P. Sampath Kumar said that drain diversion has been prioritised as part of the 100-day action plan to enhance water supply infrastructure in Vizag city. "The remaining 45 water supply pipelines will be bypassed and diverted from the drains in the next few days. Given the recent water contamination incidents in some parts of the state, we have implemented rigorous testing protocols to monitor raw water sources, treatment processes, and final water quality,” said the commissioner.“The Andhra Pradesh Pollution Control Board (APPCB) conducts quarterly assessments of raw water quality supplied to Visakhapatnam. Additionally, the GVMC has established in-house quality control laboratories at raw water intake points for real-time testing. Water samples are being analysed three times daily before and after treatment to ensure optimal quality," he said.“Moreover, the GVMC collects water from approximately 2,000 tail endpoints on a daily basis and conducts quality checks on these samples. Till date, the GVMC has not identified any significant issue with the water supply system or quality. By intensifying quality monitoring, we aim to eliminate the risk of water contamination within the city," he added.Currently, the GVMC addresses up to 25 water leakage incidents per day in one or the other part of the city."The maximum response time the corporation is currently taking to address these leakages is about 12 to 18 hours. Our goal is to reduce the average response time for these incidents. We are actively working to implement efficiency measures to expedite leak repairs," the GVMC commissioner said.We also published the following articles recently