Call to prioritise safe drinking water across Chittoor villages

District Collector Sumit Kumar on Wednesday prioritised safe drinking water across all village habitations in Chittoor, directing the Rural Water Supply engineers to launch immediate ground-level execution using available funds.Speaking to the media here, the Collector said that to prevent water-borne illnesses, the administration called for regular field testing and early vulnerability inspections. Officials must prepare estimates ranging from ₹25 lakh to ₹30 lakh per mandal for infrastructure improvements, including pipeline installations, public taps, network repairs, and new borewells.Mr. Sumit Kumar said that special focus would be on SC/ST hamlets and minority habitations, in addition to urban slums with strained water systems.“The officials identified 13 priority mandals such as Kuppam, Shanthipuram, Gudupalle, V Kota, Yadamarri, Peddapanjani, Ramakuppam, and Puthalapattu. Strict maintenance protocols require storage tanks to be cleaned every 15 days under the personal supervision and sign-off of engineers, with panchayat secretaries facing formal disciplinary notices for any operational lapses,” he said.Meanwhile, the Collector said that welfare hostels would have mandatory water quality testing and bi-monthly administrative inspections to ensure students maintain access to safe drinking water. Published - November 11, 2026 07:57 pm IST