Sri Vijaya Puram, June 8: The onset of the southwest monsoon has significantly improved water availability in various reservoirs across the Andaman & Nicobar Islands, particularly in the Dhanikhari Dam, bringing much-needed relief from the recent water supply constraints.
During the period of reduced rainfall and declining reservoir levels, the A&N Administration adopted a proactive and comprehensive approach to ensure the availability of drinking water to consumers across the Islands. Several alternative water sources, including borewells, ponds, ring wells, reservoirs, and weirs, were identified and developed to augment water supply. As a result, an additional 15.08 MLD of water was made available through the commissioning of Rutland Phase-I & II, 13 ponds, 7 weirs, 10 ring wells, 5 reservoirs, and 7 borewells in both urban and rural areas.
The water situation was closely monitored by the Chief Secretary and Commissioner-cum-Secretary (PWD), who reviewed water availability on a weekly basis and issued necessary directions to maintain the minimum essential supply across all villages and the headquarters area. Water rationing measures were carefully planned to minimize inconvenience to the public.
Deputy Commissioners of all three districts also played a key role in monitoring the situation and facilitating the availability of land for location-specific water augmentation works. These coordinated efforts helped mitigate the impact of the water shortage on consumers. Simultaneously, the Andaman Public Works Department (APWD) and the Sri Vijaya Puram Municipal Council (SVPMC) undertook extensive awareness campaigns promoting judicious use of water through water concerts, school programmes, rallies, discussions, and public outreach activities.
The awareness initiatives received an encouraging response from the public and institutions, contributing significantly to water conservation. Further, the Administration has undertaken several area-specific projects aimed at reducing dependence on water tankers. These include the construction of 05 borewells, 03 nos. check weirs, 02 nos. ringwells besides enhancement of catchment areas of reservoirs and desilting of Sona Pahad dam which augmented water availability by approximately 168.75 million litres upon completion in South Andaman.
With the recent improvement in water levels at Dhanikhari Dam and the continued monsoon rainfall, the Administration expects a further increase in available water resources. Accordingly, normal water supply in the SVPMC area is proposed to be restored shortly. The A&N Administration remains committed to strengthening water security across the Islands and is continuously monitoring the situation to minimize the possibility of water shortages in the future.