Water crisis back to haunt Gajapati, Rayagada villages

BERHAMPUR:  Nothing can be more paradoxical than the government claiming water sufficiency in the state while villagers in southern districts continuing to struggle for every drop. Though the Rural Drinking Water Supply & Sanitation (RWSS) division has reportedly provided piped drinking water to most areas and also sunk bore wells in the region, water crisis keeps haunting villages of Gajapati and Rayagada districts. 

For instance, in Puturpada village in Gajapati district’s Nuagarh block, there are three tube-wells to cater to a population of more than 500. Two of them are rendered inoperational while the third one releases stench. That apart, the ongoing pipeline work which started last year is going on at a snail’s pace and the water tank construction has not been completed since two years. Villagers have claimed that the pipeline laid in the village is damaged at several places and even standposts  broken. Neither the contractor nor authorities concerned are taking up repair works, alleged villagers. 

Nuagarh RWSS Engineer Prabhakar Muni said, the pipe water supply work is getting delayed due to lack of labourers but will hopefully be completed soon. Similarly, Rayagada district’s Khilimisiguda village with a population of more than 400 has two tube-wells and a piped water supply project. While one of the tube-wells is defunct since last three years, the other has muddy water. The pipe water supply was stalled after the motor got burnt six months back. 

Villagers, mostly tribals, reportedly contributed money for repairing the motor but it again stopped functioning within two days of repair. Now, most of them consume contaminated water of river Nagavali nearby. Meanwhile in Ganjam, over 100 persons across Dharakote, Khalikote and Purusottampur blocks reportedly took ill in the last fortnight, after consuming polluted water.  As per reports, two persons have died and 150 others got affected with diarrhoea during this period.