BARIPADA: Councillors of 28 wards under Baripada municipality have expressed strong resentment over irregular water supply to local residents by the WATCO.
During a review meeting chaired by municipality chairman Krushnananda Mohanty on Friday, councillors said they are facing the brunt of criticism from residents due to WATCO’s failure to address the issue. Since multiple households share a single water connection, the problem has become acute and is expected to intensify with the onset of summer.
The councillors said the existing pump houses built more than a decade ago are struggling to meet growing demand. Despite the civic body’s proposals for new pump houses, WATCO has yet to implement these solutions. The delayed implementation of Jambhira water supply project which can provide 24 hours water availability to all wards has only added to the problem, the councillors said.
Presently, WATCO operates with a single water tank which serves all 28 wards. While the municipality has deployed two to three water tankers and arranged rented ones for crisis areas, the measures have not provided any relief.
The chairman directed WATCO to make Jambhira project operational by March 31. The need for repairing roads was also raised in the meeting.