BERHAMPUR: Scarcity of safe drinking water remains a perennial problem for the residents of K Sitapur village in Kasinagar block of Gajapati district. Even as various development programmes have been implemented in the village, located less than 10 km from the district headquarters town of Paralakhemundi no steps have yet been taken to resolve the water crisis. Inhabited by around 1,980 families with a population of 4,000 the village has piped water supply system with overhead storage facility. But the water stinks and is unfit for consumption, said Budu Raita, a local.
The villagers either dig pits or collect water from a drain, which is used for bathing domestic animals. A few of them also collect water from a tube well, located in a field, around 2 km away. Another local, R Sundari said the villagers had apprised authorities concerned of their plight but in vain.
The water collected from the tube well is boiled before consumption. But its use for bathing has led to rise in skin disease in the village. The villagers have been urging RWSS officials to clean and disinfect the overhead water tank which has been lying idle for the last more than one year. Tired of the official apathy, they have now decided to approach the district Collector to intervene in the matter.