Marriages being conducted with muddy water

newly married Kolam Adivasi couple participating in rituals 

People in interior areas are celebrating marriages, using muddy water as they are depending on streams and rivulets for their needs.

Most borewells have dried up and minor drinking water schemes have gone defunct due to damages.

Some Adivasis were struggling to collect drinking water a month before a marriage in their family. 

Now there is every possibility of an outbreak of water-borne  diseases if the forced to drink polluted water and cook with it, which could also lead to food poisoning. Such incidents took place last summer in Utnoor and Bela mandals in the district.

The RWS and gram panchayats have failed to supply bleaching powder to be mixed in open and agriculture wells nor has the medical and health department supplied chlorine tablet to purify polluted water prior to drinking.        

The marriage of Sidam Laxmibai and Atram Shankar was recently celebrated, the families going arduous lengths to procure potable water in Kakarboddi village in Sirpur(U) mandal.

Community elder of Kakarboddi Tekam Jashwanth worried about collecting water for various purposes , what with three marriages scheduled this month. 

He said that  the villagers were busy, collecting water from various drinking sources for the occasion. Some of them even being forced to drink polluted water at marriages.   

Atram Laxmibai of Kolam Kommuguda said that “the Kolams were a particularly vulnerable tribal group (PTG) and their living conditions were pathetic and opined that officials must take special care for their welfare”.