BERHAMPUR: Safe drinking water continues to be a dream for people of many villages in Ganjam district. Despite allotment of funds by State Government for water supply, water does not reach several villages during summer.
With most of the water supply projects lying defunct, villagers are forced to fetch water from unclean ponds, nullahs and open wells. A case in point is Patrapur block in the district. In Sholobhagapentho village of the block, a water supply project was constructed in 2010 but it functioned only for a few months.
A bore-well was sunk on the banks of river Bogi and an overhead tank and a pump house were constructed. However, due to poor standard of construction, water flow from the bore-well was very less. Whatever water could be collected from the bore-well was supplied to Sholobhagapentho village that is inhabited by 1,193 people. Some days later, the bore-well stopped discharging water and subsequently, the project was closed down.
Owing to persistent demands of the locals, the administration sunk another bore-well near the overhead tank and water supply was resumed. Supply was again stopped during November last year as the motor pump was stolen by miscreants. The officials concerned registered a police complaint but neither was the motor pump recovered nor a new one installed to resume water supply. Even as the problem of water scarcity is increasing with every passing day, none of the two defunct water supply projects have been repaired. Khali Rana, a villager, said there were two tube-wells in the village but these too are lying defunct.
Under these circumstances, village women have to walk for one kilometre everyday to collect water from an open well located on the outskirts of the village. “Water level in the open well has also started going down drastically since the onset of summer and people have now resorted to digging chhua (water holes) on the banks of river Bogi to collect water,” Rana said. The river is three km from the village.
The villagers have urged Ganjam Collector Prem Chandra Choudhary to look into water supply to the village. The Collector has directed officials concerned to repair the defunct water projects at the earliest.