KENDRAPARA: The onset of summer has brought along problem of water scarcity for seaside villages of Mahakalapada and Rajnagar blocks in Kendrapara district. Much to the distress of womenfolk and children who walk long distances to fetch potful of drinking water, most tube-wells have either dried up or been rendered defunct.
“Like every year, this summer too has spelt trouble for us as the only tube-well in the village is lying defunct since past two months,” said Pramila Sethi of Sanamarichapali village.
Blaming water scarcity to rising salinity level due to excessive use of ground water by prawn farm owners, villagers feel, the delay in completion of the ambitious mega drinking water project for 200 villages under Mahakalapada and Marsaghai blocks has added to the misery. The foundation of the project was laid by Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik in 2018 and it was scheduled to be completed in two years but the delay has led to problems for us, said Umesh Chandra Singh, president of the district unit of Krusak Sabha complained.
The seaside villages mostly depend on tube-well water even though the salinity level makes it unsafe for consumption.
“But as many tube-wells are defunct, we have been using the contaminated water of ponds, rivers and other water sources. The scarcity issue will be felt more in the coming months,” said Nalinikanta Das of Jamboo village.
“We are forced to drink water from the village pond as three tube-wells are not working,” added Chandan Haldar of Kansarabadadandua village.
Of 17,338 tube-wells in 249 Gram Panchayats in the district, 130 are lying defunct. “To meet the drinking water scarcity, we will soon repair all the defunct tube-wells across the district,” executive engineer of Rural Water Supply and Sanitation (RWSS), Kendrapara Basant Kumar Nayak said.
“The first phase of the drinking water project will be completed within two months. A tender will be floated to start another mega project to meet drinking water needs of 305 villages,” Nayak added.