SUNDARGARH:THE scorching summer has aggravated water crisis in Sundargarh headquarters town with natural sources getting dry. Inadequate water distribution networks and depletion of surface and ground water tables have added to the shortage in the district while gradually drying river Ib has forced authorities to create temporary sand-bunds to store water.
In an attempt to save the situation, the municipality has come up with measures to divert water from natural resources to residential areas. Currently, Public Health and Engineering Department (PHED) with its filtration plant of 4.5 million litres per day (MLD) at Ranibagicha is supplying 5.4 MLD water against the requirement of 6.5 MLD to 50,000 people in 19 Municipality Wards. While Wards 13 to 16 have no piped water supply, Wards 11, 12, 18 and 19 are partially covered with pipe water and requirement of the rest Wards is met by 311 tube-wells and tankers.
Sundargarh Municipality Chairman Benudhar Tandia said, a sand bund has been created at Mahadevpara to feed water to PHED intake well, while two other sand bunds have been set up at Mundapara and RIIT Colony to store water for direct use by residents of nearby town. For non-drinking purposes, 14 ponds are being renovated. A large pond near Krushak Bazaar is getting renovated for `1.5 crore with guard walls and fitness path. About 20 new tube wells would be sunk shortly, he added.
Municipality Councillor Dr HS Sarangi claimed that the situation is challenging in Wards 6, 7, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 18 and 19 where there is no piped water and the tube-wells fail to yield clean drinking water. The sand-bunds constructed without sand-bags would not be able to store water for long.
Assistant Executive Engineer, PHED, Pratap Mohanty said, a new pipeline project of `2.67 crore has been activated to supply raw river water from Satnadhar to Ranibagicha treatment plant. Work has started for a 7.5 MLD treatment plant and 6.5 lakh liter capacity sump at Ranibagicha at a cost of `4.85 crore, while proposal is sent for technical approval of `8.44 crore towards creation of Elevated Service Reservoirs (ESRs) and distribution networks for Zone-2. Plans are afoot to spend nearly `18.54 crore to set up ESRs and augment distribution networks in Zone I and III, he added.