KENDRAPARA: Amid the soaring summer temperature, residents of seaside villages in Mahakalapada block find themselves in the grip of a severe water crisis.
All 31 gram panchayats of the block with a population of around 1,40,000 are reportedly reeling under acute drinking water shortage. Lacking access to safe water, villagers have no option but to wait in long queues near water tankers and the handful of working tubewells due to heavy rush.
Bibhuti Manna of Bahakuda village alleged that large parts of the coastal villages in the district are staring at water crisis as the soaring temperature leads to drought conditions during summer every year.
Besides, salinity level is rising due to over-exploitation of groundwater by farmers in many villages. As the sea is marching menacingly towards the coastal pockets, many villages are facing saltwater intrusion. Villagers said the saline water from tubewells cannot be used for cooking or drinking.
In some villages, residents are facing the problem of contaminated drinking water due to faulty sewerage systems. Ranjit Behera of Kharinashi village said the joints of sewerage pipes have loosened, resulting in sewage mixing with drinking water. The situation is so alarming that villagers fear outbreak of diseases, he claimed.
Sources said the Rs 241 crore mega drinking water supply project aimed at providing water to 200 villages in Mahakalapada and Marsaghai blocks remains incomplete. In 2018, foundation stone of the project was laid by then chief minister Naveen Patnaik who had promised to complete the work within four years. “The project is still unfinished, leaving many villagers in a lurch,” said president of Mahakalapada Bikash Manch Kashinath Routray.
He further claimed that several villages are grappling with water shortage due to inadequate summer action plans implemented by the officials of Rural Water Supply and Sanitation (RWSS) department.
Executive engineer of RWSS, Kendrapara Basant Kumar Nayak said, “To deal with the drinking water scarcity, we are supplying water through tankers to many villages. We are also repairing all defunct tubewells on a war footing. The Rs 241 crore mega drinking water project will be completed this year.”