KENDRAPARA: Frustrated over drinking water crisis in their areas, residents of villages under Kendrapara’s Mahakalapada block launched a ‘No water, no vote’ campaign on Saturday threatening to boycott polls if the issue is not resolved.
Sources said around 25,000 people of Gamha, Bhateni, Hetamundia, Bhitarasobala, Kentia, Balipada Karandiapatana and other villages, despite residing close to rivers Gobari and Luna, have been reeling under severe water shortage since a long time but the problem is yet to be sorted.
With elections round the corner, the villagers asserted that they would boycott the polls if their demands are not met soon. “We have given a clear message of ‘Pani nahi to vote nahi’ (no water, no votes) to politicians who come for campaigning in our areas to press for our demands,” said Sagarika Rout of Gamha village.
Another local Nalini Jena said despite summer being at its peak, all the four tube-wells in their village are lying defunct since the last eight months. Hence, they depend on a local pond to collect drinking water.
“We had appealed the authorities to set up new tube-wells or repair the existing ones but they did not pay heed. As a result, the water scarcity issue continues to persist,” said Tapasi Mandal of Hetamundia village.
Rabi Narayan Rout, retired headmaster of Gamha village said Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik had laid foundation stone of a `241 crore mega drinking water project in 2018 aimed at supplying drinking water to villages under Mahakalapada block but it is moving at a snail’s pace. “As a result, many villages continue to deal with water scarcity even today. We have decided to boycott the coming elections as a mark of protest,” he added.
Basant Sethi, assistant engineer of Rural Water Supply and Sanitation (RWSS) department, Mahakalapada block assured the drinking water project would be completed in a year. “We are also supplying drinking water in tankers to water-scarce villages. Besides, many defunct tube-wells have been repaired. Some tube-wells become non-functional in summer due to groundwater depletion,” he added.
President of district unit of BJD Dhiren Sahu said villagers boycott polls during every election as a way to settle their demands. “The state government has undertaken several developmental works in these villages and we hope villagers will vote for our party in the upcoming polls,” he hoped.