ROURKELA: After facing acute drinking water crisis at its Rourkela Industrial Township (RIT), the Rourkela Steel Plant (RSP) is making all out efforts to augment water supply. But all belated measures are proving to be inadequate to tide over the problem.
An RSP statement informed that about 18 Million Gallon per Day (MGD) of water was to be drawn from the Koel river, but with drying up of the river, the intake well at Sector 20 is hardly able to extract one MGD despite creation of coffer dam, channel to divert water and construction of pond on river bed near the intake facility. Though continuous sand dredging is being carried out, the situation has not improved.
The statement said augmentation of water evacuation potential from the Brahmani river using Tarkera pump house is underway to supply three MGD while the existing supply is about six MGD. Nine tubewells and one deep borewell have been dug up with plans to instal 20 more tubewells and five borewells.