JAGATSINGHPUR: Balrampur village, part of Osakana panchayat in Balikuda block, has been grappling with an acute water shortage for the past four years. The damage to pipeline infrastructure, attributed to sub-standard materials, has left the villagers in a difficult situation, with women undertaking risky two-km journey to secure drinking water.
With a population of 450, Balrampur village comprises over 71 households. The village had been receiving its drinking water supply from the Shoba pipe water project for the past seven to eight years. However, cracks in the pipes have rendered the supply non-operational, and no repairs have been made to address the issue, leaving the villagers amid water shortage.
Sarpanch of Osakana panchayat Tarun Kumar Mohanty said although there are two tube wells in the village, the water is unusable due to high salinity and iron content. Consequently, the panchayat relies on tanker deliveries for three months during the summer, while the villagers depend on neighbouring communities for the remaining nine months to source drinking water. This predicament is shared by several other villages in the region, including Samantrapur, Paikrapur, Osakana, and Panitira.
Expressing their distress, women of Balrampur village said they have been compelled to travel two-three km to obtain water from tube wells and open wells. For the past four years, they have endured a severe water shortage, leading to health issues, including skin conditions from bathing in saline and iron-rich water. Even schoolgirls have missed classes as they spend long hours to carry water for consumption.
A woman from the village Bharati Swain said that their daily routine involves making the arduous journey to the nearby Rahan village, located two km away, to collect drinking water. The neighbouring villages also face water quality problems. The women have threatened to intensify their protests if their demands for a solution are not met.
Chairman of Balikuda Panchayat Samiti, Prakash Chandra Pradhan, acknowledged the water shortage in these villages and stated that steps have been taken to provide water through tankers. “Delay in completion of the Mega Pipe Water Scheme from the Devi River in the Naugaon block exacerbate the drinking water crisis in various villages within the Balikuda and Erasama blocks,” Pradhan added.