ROURKELA: With Koel river running dry and the proposed barrage project in a limbo for years, a vast population of Rourkela is staring at an impending water crisis ahead of peak summer.
The Rourkela Steel Plant (RSP) uses water from Koel river for around 70 per cent population of its captive township. Similarly, the Public Health and Engineering Organisation (PHEO) sources water from the river for supply to Koel Nagar and Shakti Nagar areas in Rourkela Municipal Corporation (RMC) limits.
Koel Nagar resident Kapileswar Maharana said, water supply gets regulated during peak summer and the PHEO provides water tankers on being informed.
The Koel barrage is a necessity to ensure availability of drinking water as the river dries up every summer, said the retired RSP employee. Many residents of RSP’s captive township admitted that they struggle due to regulated water supply during summer.
After facing an unprecedented water crisis in 2016, the RSP had connected the hilltop water purification plant in Sector 20 with Brahmani waterworks in Sector-8 with an aim to draw water from Brahmani river in the worst case scenario by spending around Rs 8 crore.
The PHEO too has connected Koel Nagar water supply facility with the one at Panposh to facilitate supply from Brahmani river.
PHEO sources said, around 4.5 million litre per day is required to meet the demand of Koel Nagar and Shakti Nagar.
Usually, water flow in Koel river decreases drastically during May and June and the shortfall in supply is met from Brahmani.
The foundation of the low-height bridge-cum-barrage project was laid in July, 2013 at Baikuntha Ghat of Koel with an objective to secure drinking water availability for Rourkela city and extend irrigation to 3,300 acre in Birmitrapur on the other side of the river.
The project was redesigned into pick-up weir over cost and technical issues but never reached the implementation stage.
While the affected people demand a permanent solution for the water crisis, BJD’s RN Pali MLA Subrata Tarai said he is optimistic about the barrage project and hoped for its early implementation.