Production in 300 industries in Anakapalli district hit due to lack of water supply

Some industries have been depending on water tankers to meet their needs in Anakapalli district.
| Photo Credit: SPECIAL ARRANGMENT

The production in nearly 300 industries in the district has been severely affected due to the lack of water supply from the government authority, Andhra Pradesh Industrial Infrastructure Corporation (APIIC).

Industrial sources said that the production of various types of medicines, paints, glasses etc. of industries in the district has been affected to the tune of over thousands of crores due to the problem.

All these industries fall under the jurisdiction of the Achyutapuram Special Economic Zone, and the Jawaharlal Nehru Pharmaceutical City (JNPC) developed by the Ramky Group.

APIIC supplies 15 million litres of water (150 lakh litres) to these industries every day for various domestic and production needs by tapping water from its sources through the Yeleru canal. It has three 750 HP capacity water pumps to cater to the needs of industries.

The problem started on November 15 (Friday) when the motors failed due to technical glitches. “We have three 750 HP motors. All of them suddenly stopped working due to mechanical failure. The water supply was completely stopped on November 18 and 19 to the industries. We are also working tirelessly to repair the motors. Currently, we are managing with one motor, which was restarted at around 3 a.m. on Saturday. Another motor will be completely replaced in the first week of December and the second motor will be repaired soon,” APIIC Zonal Manager Hari Prasad told The Hindu on Saturday (November 23).

“Our bulk drug production unit has been almost non-functional for the past week due to lack of water supply. We are managing with alternative water sources,” said an assistant general manager of a pharma company in the JNPC Parawada. “This is the first time in the history of our plant that we have been affected due to lack of water supply,” he said.

Another industrial unit spokesperson said, “We are now depending on tankers to meet the basic needs of the plant. It is difficult to depend on tankers. Ours is a round-the-clock water supply dependent plant. So, the government officials should understand our pain and resolve the issue quickly,” he added.

On the other hand, due to the temporary shutdown of plants or industrial operators, many contract workers have lost their daily wage jobs and the plants are not functioning, said CITU district vice-president Ganisetti Satyanarayana. He said the government officials should consider the issue as a natural disaster and pay wages as there is no fault on their side.