Women belonging to the Particularly Vulnerable Tribal Group (PVTG) Kondhu community on Thursday have urged the government to provide safe drinking water facilities in Dayarthi village under Jeenabadu panchayat in Ananthagiri mandal of Alluri Sitharama Raju district.

The villagers said that around 450 tribal residents in the hilltop settlement were dependent on contaminated stream water for drinking purposes, resulting in frequent illnesses such as malaria, cold and fever. They alleged that despite the implementation of schemes such as Jal Jeevan Mission and Janman, drinking water facilities had not reached their village.

The residents said that road connectivity to the village had recently improved after Deputy Chief Minister Pawan Kalyan visited the area, but the drinking water issue remained unresolved. They also pointed out that patients had to travel to Devarapalli in private vehicles for treatment, spending nearly ₹2,000 on transportation.

Tribal women, including Vantala Radha, Lakshmi, Kanthamma and Devi, demanded borewells and household tap connections. CPM district executive member K. Govinda Rao, along with local leaders Sridhar, Somanna and Narsinga Rao, urged the government to resolve the issue immediately and warned of a protest at the ITDA office if no action was taken.