BERHAMPUR: Even after being elevated to municipality status, Chhatrapur town, the district headquarters of Ganjam, lacks proper infrastructure. It has been a fortnight since the declaration of this status, yet the boundary area has not been finalised.
On the other hand, the population of this old town has increased manifold along with the number of holdings, giving rise to various civic problems. The inadequate supply of safe drinking water still lags in the town. It needs around 3.33 million litre of water per day, while only 2.63 million litre are being supplied from various sources. Despite the scarcity of water, people in the 14 wards of the declared municipality manage their affairs in other seasons.
However, once summer approaches, the scarcity of water increases with the supply of water from Hansapur, Kaliabali, Tampara, and 31 tube wells nearby the town. But this year, the storage of Kaliabali and Tampara reduced, and only Hansapur and tube wells supply water.
Meanwhile, to meet the need, a water supply project at a cost of Rs 17 crore has been planned to draw water from Kansariganda over Rushikulya river under the Atal Mission for Rejuvenation and Urban Transformation (AMRUT) scheme. The project is targeted to end by 2025, said Public Health Engineering department MK Panigrahy.
As per official estimation, 135 litre of water are required per head, against which only 110 litre have been supplied. To meet the water requirement, the department has engaged three water tankers every day. Official sources said the number of tankers increases as per requirement.
As per records, of the 5,066 holdings in the town, the pipeline supply water is connected to only 4,388 holdings. However, after the completion of the AMRUT Yojana, the issue of water scarcity would be resolved, added Panigrahy.