Odisha: Drop in ground water level mounts water crisis in Rourkela

Clusters housing small slums don’t have piped water supply during summer
Odisha: Drop in ground water level mounts water crisis in Rourkela

ROURKELA: With mercury hovering between 41 degree and 44 degree Celsius and dip in ground water table, a sizeable population of Gopabandhupali, Timber Colony and Deogaon slum clusters and some other slum pockets are facing acute shortage of drinking water. These clusters, housing several small slums, do not have piped water supply. Demand for water during peak summer is a regular affair with the existing tube-wells failing to yield water and open wells alongside Durgapur foothills going dry.

Amid blistering heat, the administration is struggling to meet the demand for water. After meeting the local officials of Public Health and Engineering Organisation (PHEO), Rourkela District Congress Committee (RDCC) president Biren Senapati said there was a demand to ensure adequate drinking water supply to dry slum pockets. Senapati pointed out that about 200 families at Bibekanandbasti in Ward-11 of Rourkela Municipal Corporation (RMC) limits are facing acute shortage of water with drying up of two open wells and about half a dozen tube wells failing to yield water.

He said the PHEO engineer had assured that a pipeline from Madhusudanpali to the affected area will be extended. Senapati further claimed that about 100 families at Harijanbasti on railway land in Railway Colony continue to suffer as they fetch water from long distances with railways not allowing to instal tube-wells on its land. Former Chairman of erstwhile Rourkela Municipality Ramesh Bal apprehended that the situation may turn grim in May and advised the RMC authorities to keep half a dozen water tankers, which are defunct, in a state of readiness.

Bal claimed that due to delay in completion of ongoing drinking water projects, there seems to be no respite for the slum dwellers. Despite demand for water from certain pockets, the drinking water supply situation has improved at numerous other slum pockets of the city with multi-pronged initiatives such as laying of piped water project to Madhusundanpali and installation of deep bore wells, which are connected to overhead tanks.

As of now, the PHEO has 1,689 functional tube wells. PHEO Executive Engineer Anup Patel said while the scenario is normal at various other slum pockets, only Gopabandhupali, Timber Colony and Deogaon slum clusters are facing some problem due to drop in ground water level. He said in these three pockets, 40 PVC water tanks have been installed and six water tankers, with 40,000-litre capacity, are supplying water. He said if required, the supply of water from tanker would be increased.

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