BHUBANESWAR: As cholera and diarrhoea have started spreading to new areas apart from Rayagada district, questions are being raised over the expenditure of huge funds by the State government for making safe drinking water accessible to people across Odisha.
The government has allocated over Rs 15,000 crore under different schemes including BASUDHA and Jal Jeevan Mission to achieve the target of universal coverage of tap water connections in the State during the last three years. However, over 50 per cent of rural households are still to be covered.
While a whopping Rs 6,000 crore has been provided under Jal Jeevan Mission in 2022-23 budget, Rs 2,255 crore has been allocated under BASUDHA scheme. Similarly, provision under the two schemes was Rs 3,323 crore and Rs 2,419 crore respectively.
According to both State government and Centre’s data, of the 88.47 lakh rural households in the State, tap water connections have reached only 44.12 lakh households. However, figures from the tribal and Western Odisha districts are more disturbing. While, only 26.54 per cent of the rural households of the Malkangiri district have access to tap water, it is 31.71 per cent in Rayagada. Similarly, only 31.4 per cent of rural households get safe drinking water in Balangir district.
Official figures also state less then 40 per cent rural households in Kalahandi, Gajapati, Mayurbhanj, Sundargarh, Sambalpur and Kandhamal districts have access to tap water.Independent MLA from Rayagada, Makaranda Muduli dismissed all official claims and said, “Schemes have started now. Tenders have have recently been floated in Gunupur, Kashipur and other blocks. How can there be tap water connections in rural households in the district,” he questioned.
Muduli said intake of contaminated water is the major cause of spread of cholera and diarrhoea in the district. People are dependent on ponds, wells and other sources for their daily water requirement, which is a major reason behind cholera spread in the district at regular interval, he said and added that it will take two more years for completion of all the projects. Till then the administration should manage the situation properly.
Leader of the Congress Legislature Party (CLP) Narasingha Mishra said a drinking water project in Ratanpur village of Balangir district is going on for the last six years.Panchayati Raj and Drinking Water Minister Pradip Amat was not available for a comment.