Swajaldhara Yojana that was launched by the Central Government in 2002 to open up reforms in the rural drinking water supply sector, has yielded little response in this part of the country.
Rural pockets of Deogarh district, which are home to persons displaced by the Rengali dam project, are reeling under water scarcity. Here, Swajaldhara projects have been lying defunct for various reasons.
There is no power supply in some while in others, leaking pipes and lack of repair have rendered them non-functional.
Under Swajaldhara Yojana, water supply is ensured to the rural population by Piped Water Supply Scheme (PWSS) and Spot Source Water Supply Scheme (SSWSS).
A PWSS is adopted to cover a larger population and also when there is the need of proper treatment of raw water. A SSWSS is adopted to cater smaller population and also where the raw water requires no or minimum treatment.
A Swajaldhara project at Rambhei in Barkote block was supposed to provide piped drinking water to Rambhei, Bhalupali, Purukunda, Luhisahi and Badasiradihi.
Though it was constructed in 2012 by Rural Water Supply & Sanitation (RWSS) at the cost of `38 lakh, the project has not been of much help.
Villagers said a fortnight after it was commissioned two years back, the pipes carrying water cracked at many places.
When villagers reported the matter to the RWSS officials, they said the deep bore well from which water was being drawn had caved in. Another deep bore well was dug up in Badasiradihi six months back, but it remains to be commissioned for lackadaisical attitude of the RWSS officials.
RWSS Executive Engineer Prakash Chandra Mohapatra said the deep bore well at Rambhei had caved in rendering the Swajaldhara project defunct.
He said the Deogarh electrical division had been asked to submit estimate for the electrification work at the new deep bore well. “But as we are yet to receive
the estimate, we have not been able to commission it,” he added.
Assistant Engineer of Deogarh electrical division Lambodhar Sethi refuted the claim and said estimate for electrification has been submitted to the RWSS wing. He added that electric poles are being fixed and once the work is over, electric wires would be drawn to make the deep bore well operational.
Under this community-based Swajaldhara scheme, 10 per cent of the estimated capital cost (five per cent in case of predominantly SC/ST habitations) is paid by the community.
The remaining cost is met by the Central Government and the gram panchayat takes up the operation and maintenance responsibility after the scheme is completed.