BHUBANESWAR: Members of both the ruling and opposition political parties today expressed concern in the assembly over the drinking water crisis in the state which has already assumed alarming proportions.
But only 25 members were present when the house discussed the admissibility of an adjournment motion notice on the issue. Only two ministers, Badri Narayan Patra and Pushpendra Singhdeo, dealing with rural and urban water supplies respectively, were present.
Members cutting across partylines complained about the lack of maintenance and repair of the drinking water projects, tube wells and damaged pipelines in rural areas which comes under the purview of panchayats. However, minister of state for panchayati raj Arun Sahu was also not present.
Making a statement in response, rural development minister Badri Narayan Patra, agreed to all the points raised by the opposition members about the defunct tubewells, lack of response from the officials at the ground level and drying up of water bodies in rural areas.
Describing the situation as serious which will be more acute in the coming days, Patra attributed the crisis to the falling ground water level, indiscriminate tree felling and lack of water conservation. He said more forest should be created to recharge the ground water level.
He agreed that lack of coordination at the village level between the panchayat functionaries, engineers and technicians was the cause of tube wells and pipe water projects remaining defunct for long periods.
The minister criticised the Centre for slashing funds under the National Rural Drinking Water Programme (NRDWP) as a result of which the state government has brought down proposed drinking water projects from 954 to 546. He said that the state government has installed 17700 tube wells from its own resources because of the funds cut.
He agreed to send an official team to Balangir, severely hit by drinking water crisis, to assess the situation and submit report by March 31.
Earlier, describing the situation as alarming, leader of the Opposition Narasingh Mishra alleged that defunct tube wells are not repaired and there is no response from officials to water shortage.
Ever since rural drinking water was transferred from rural development department to panchayats, nobody is responsible, he said.
At present, 40 percent people have to traverse more than a mile to collect water as compared to 32 percent in 2001, he said.
There are no tankers for supply of drinking water as claimed by the government and mobile vans are non-existent, he said and added that several wards in Bolangir town had no pipe water supply for the last 15 days. "If a government which is in power for the last 16 years, fails to ensure drinking water for its people, it has no moral right to continue," he said.
Alleging that water crisis has turned acute, Congress chief whip Tara Prasad Bahinipati said two drinking water projects constructed in Ekama gram panchayat at a cost of `60 lakh are not functioning since several years. His party colleague Subal Sahu said even when water projects are completed, there is no power connection to supply water. Rabi Narayan Naik (BJP) criticised the government for not having a plan of action to counter such a serious crisis.