RAYAGADA: Even as mercury is hovering over 40 degree Celsius in various parts of the State, the district administration is yet to gear up to tackle heat wave condition. Rayagada Municipality has not adopted any measures like erection of rest sheds and setting up adequate water kiosks in the town having a population of more than one lakh. About 10,000 people visit Rayagada town on daily basis. But scanty provision of water kiosks fails to meet the requirement of commuters post-noon. Only 13 water kiosks have been set up in the town to cater to the needs of swelling commuters which is inadequate.
People, who come to Rayagada to get their official works done and also the roadside vendors, are the worst sufferers. “Rise in temperature is making our life miserable. Whenever I have to travel for marketing, I have to cover my face with wet towel. The heat is so intense that it is unbearable from 10 am onwards itself. I can’t even sit in my shop without a cooler,” said a shop owner.
Meanwhile, sale of various cold beverages such as lemon water, lassi, watermelon and coconut water has gone up due to the severe heat wave conditions in the last few days.Executive Officer of the Municipality Sachidananda Satpathy said, “We are aware of the situation and steps are being taken to set up more water kiosks in urban areas.”Water crisis in the offing Water bodies in rural areas are gradually drying up due to the rising heat. It seems that within a week, it will go dry completely converting the water bodies into barren land.
Locals said after a few days, rural pockets of the district will suffer due to acute shortage of drinking water. Most of the water supply projects are lying defunct because of lack of maintenance ahead of summer. Despite repeated complaints, officials of both Rural Water Supply and Sanitation (RWSS) and block are not paying any heed to the plight of residents of interior pockets, they added.
RWSS Executive Engineer Motilal Tiwari said defunct tubewells in rural areas have been repaired and a vehicle is moving from village to village to disinfect water sources. As Kashipur, Chandrapur and Bissamcuttack blocks are reeling under severe water crisis, the department has engaged three water tankers in the areas. More tankers will be deployed to meet the demand, he added.
While the district has as many as 12,500 tubewells, 416 piped water supply projects are functional. This apart, 600 solar-powered water projects and 116 overhead tanks are catering to the needs of the people.
Collector Pramod Kumar Behera said steps are being taken to tackle water crisis in the district. The departments concerned have been asked to work on a war footing over the issue, he added.