PARADIP: Villagers of Mangrajpur panchayat in Jagatsinghpur district are reeling under acute shortage of drinking water. With no provision of drinking water, people are forced to consume contaminated water from pits to quench their thirst. Demanding water supply, hundreds of women on Friday staged demonstration in front of Kujang block office.
As per reports, the panchayat having five revenue villages - Mangrajpur, Hasina, Santra, Krushnachandrapur and Talapada - in Kujang block has a population of more than 5,000. Villagers alleged that though the panchayat has 40 tube-wells, it has failed to provide safe drinking water. Most of the tube-wells ooze out saline water with yellowish colour. Similarly, though a piped-water supply project was implemented a few years back, one pump set has been lying defunct for the last three years. Similar situation is also prevailing in neighbouring Taladanada village of Gopiakuda panchayat.
Locals alleged that though former MP Bibhuprasad Tarai and present MP Kulamani Samal belong to the panchayat, they even failed to resolve water crisis. The women agitators demanded to instal a 1,200-foot bore-well and set up another pipe water project in the panchayat.
Sarpanch of Mangrajpur Purnima Tripathy said the rise in temperature and decreasing groundwater level have aggravated the situation in the panchayat. The defunct pipe water project is also a cause for concern. Though the IOCL was providing drinking water through tanker, it stopped the supply of water for the last 15 days. Despite frequent request to local MP and MLA, nothing has been improved, she added.
Kujang Block Development Officer Kishore Chandra Swain said the panchayat officials have been asked to supply water to these villages through tanker. Besides, the block office has sought the intervention of IOCL to instal another pipe water scheme from its CSR fund in the panchayat to resolve water crisis, he added.