ROURKELA: While the hot long days of summer are approaching fast, around 80,000 population in several Wards of Rourkela Municipal Corporation (RMC) are yet to have piped water supply.
Incidentally, the Public Health Engineering Organisation (PHEO) aims to fully cover RMC limits under piped water supply by mid of 2020.
As per reports, drinking water projects worth about Rs 178 crores under Urban Infrastructure Development Scheme for Medium and Small Town (UIDSSMT) and Atal Mission for Renewal and Urban Transformation (AMRUT) have been taken up over the last couple of years.
RMC sources informed that of the total 3.20 lakh population within RMC limits, about 80,000 people are deprived of piped water supply. As many as 13 Wards are partially covered while seven new ones are yet to be brought under the piped water supply system. Only 20 Wards have piped water supply.
Former chairperson of the erstwhile Rourkela Municipality Rashmibala Mishra said of the seven new Wards, five have been created after merger of Jagda and Jhartarang panchayats in RMC. During summer, around 80,000 population in these areas face acute water scarcity due to drying up of ground and surface water levels. If the ongoing projects are completed in time, it would bring relief to the population which depends on tube wells, open wells and tankers for drinking purpose and ponds for other needs.
PHEO sources informed that multiple AMRUT projects worth about Rs 76.25 crore have been taken up. Of these, projects worth Rs 12.75 crore have been completed and the rest are at different stages of implementation. AMRUT projects include rehabilitation of damaged pipeline at Nala Road, laying of Rising Main Line from Panposh to Tisco Colony via Hanuman Vatika, water testing laboratory at Panposh, water treatment plant at Jhirpani and laying of distribution lines at Nayabazar to Madhusudanpali via Timber Colony and Nabakrushnanagar.
Executive Engineer of PHEO A Patel said work on the mega UIDSSMT project worth Rs 89 crore for strengthening of distribution infrastructure to uncovered areas would start in April. Recently, work order has been issued for the AMRUT project worth Rs 36 crore for setting up treatment plant and distribution networks in Jhartarang panchayat along with DAV Chowk area to Koel Nagar.
The PHEO also has plans to cover some slums of the captive township of Rourkela Steel Plant with piped water supply at a cost of Rs 14 crore.
Thought Rourkela is a water surplus city with supply capacity of 77.8 Million Litres per Day (MLD) against peak demand of 47.9 MLD, it is ailing with poor distribution networks.