BARGARH :A DUSTY road leads to Nalichuan village under Sukuda gram panchayat in Bargarh district. Located on the foothills of Barapahad Range and about 10 km from block headquarters town of Bhatli, the village is devoid of basic amenities.
The 600 people inhabiting the village can only dream of potable water. An open dug well is their only source of water.
Although there are six tube-wells in the village, the water is unfit for consumption. This leaves the villagers with little option but to consume the dirty water, which is also the root cause of water-borne diseases.
A tank was constructed close to the open well by a Youth Club in the village, but the motor got damaged. Despite repeated pleas to the district administration to provide them with clean drinking water, it has failed to evoke any response.
Kishori Sahu of the village said the tube-well oozes water with iron content which cannot be used even after boiling. To make matters worse, the two water bodies in the village have also dried up, he added.
Similarly, Sabita Bhoi of the village said this is not a new phenomenon and they have been suffering for the last several years. The crisis aggravates during summer. Piped water connection should be provided to the village, she added.
The villagers continue to live and under the fear of contracting water-borne diseases even more than a year and half after it was adopted by Bargarh MP Pravash Singh under Narendra Modi Government’s flagship scheme ‘Sansad Adarsh Gram Yojana’ (SAGY) meant to develop model villages across the country.
Singh adopted five villages in Sukuda gram panchayat of unirrigated Bhatli block. The villages are Sukuda, Nalichuan, Banjipali and Tala in the GP. The announcement by Singh to adopt the villages brought cheer among the people, who had hoped for improved water and infrastructure facilities. But nothing much has changed ever since it was adopted by the MP.
Bhatli Block Development Officer Padmanabh Behera feigned ignorance about the water woes.
However, Singh said he has allotted a drinking water tanker from his MPLAD to tide over the crisis. The MP said he has discussed the issue with RWSS and plans are afoot to sink a deep borewell and facilitate piped water in the village.
Uncared for
The 600 people inhabiting the village can only dream of potable water. An open dug well is their only source of water.
A tank was constructed close to the open well by a Youth Club in the village, but the motor got damaged. Despite repeated pleas to the district administration to provide them with clean drinking water, it has failed to evoke any response.