Port Blair, Oct. 17: Towards ensuring continued access to adequate quantity of potable water in extreme dry season to remote areas of Afra Bay and Macachua in Great Nicobar Island, APWD has successfully completed 2 tanks of capacity 10.66 lakh litres each. Every year, during summer, the tribal inhabitants residing in permanent shelters at Afra Bay and Macachua faces acute scarcity of water due to drying up of wells/available spring sources there. Both these places are accessible only through mechanized boat or engine dinghy by sea.  Due to which, every year, potable water had to be transported from Campbell Bay to Afra Bay and Macachua by boat or engine dingy during extreme peak summer for consumption of the residents.

To meet the demand, sufficiently large water storage tanks were proposed for construction by making use of prefabricated GI tank with liner for storing 10.66 lakh litres water in each tank. Despite several unforeseen hurdles in the wake of COVID pandemic, construction of the tanks has been successfully completed and commissioned by APWD. The augmented water storage will benefit 150 population of Afra Bay and 175 residents of Macachua.

With the completion of this project, 10.66 lakh litres water can be stored in each tank during rainy season when it is available abundantly in the local water sources. This stored water can be utilized for consumption by the native tribal inhabitants during peak summer without having to face any hardship.