People of Hakki-Pikki community await access to safe drinking water.
Abhinav Kumar
There is no supply of potable water to the Gowripura village that comes under Banniguppe Gram Panchayat in Ramnagar district .
The Hakki-Pikki tribal community that resides in Gowripura, has been looking forward to the water purifying unit, that was constructed two years ago, but has not been inaugurated yet.
Virendra, a resident of the village, said, “We have to travel two kilometres every day to buy water for drinking and cooking food because the water filter unit set up in the village isn’t functional. It costs us Rs. 3,360 per month.”
Madhu, another resident of the village, said, “This village has around 120 houses, but the government has not set up a water tank. Most of us are factory labourers by profession and can’t afford to spend this huge sum every month. The Panchayat is also not doing anything to solve this problem.”
The right to clean water is a fundamental right of every citizen of the country, guaranteed under Article 21 of the Constitution of India. United Nations General Assembly also recognizes it as a basic human right and acknowledges that access to clean drinking water and sanitation facility is essential to the realization of all human rights.
L.H. Varadaraju, Development Officer, Banniguppe Gram Panchayat, said, “The government planned to inaugurate the water purifier, but due to the political instability in the state, the funds were withheld. The Sarpanch had also sent a letter to the state government, highlighting this issue. They will soon release the funds and inaugurate the water purifier.”
Hem Reddy, a ward member, said, “This water purifier unit was made during the tenure of previous MLA, who used his contacts to construct this filtration unit via the CSR initiative.”
Dr. Krishna Raj, Professor of Rural Development, Institute for Social and Economic Change, said “Clean drinking water is a basic necessity. If someone is deprived of clean drinking water, they are more prone to diseases, which might affect their health.”
