KENDRAPARA: Residents of several villages in Marsaghai blocked the Haladiagada-Patkura road at Sasinipada here demanding safe drinking water on Tuesday.
The agitators, mostly women, blocked the movement of vehicles including buses on the road for around four hours alleging irregular supply of drinking water and delay in repair of defunct tube-wells in Talasanga, Sasinipada, Garajanga, Kharadasahi, Kurapala, Berua and other villages under Marsaghai block. The villagers also took out a rally demanding regular supply of water.
Smitarani Jena (29) of Sasinipada village claimed, “We have been facing erratic water supply since long. Despite taking up the issue with the officials concerned several times in the past, no steps have been taken to resolve the water crisis.”
The protest would be intensified if the Rural Water Supply and Sanitation (RWSS) department fails to provide water to the villages through tankers everyday, she warned.
Sources said a Rs 241 crore mega drinking water supply project, the foundation stone of which was laid in 2018, is yet to be completed. The ambitious project aims to provide water to 148 villages under 26 gram panchayats in Mahakalapada block and 52 villages of 16 gram panchayats in Marsaghai.
Mayadhar Rout (47) of Talasanga said, “The then chief minister Naveen Patnaik had promised to complete the project within two years after laying its foundation stone on December 8, 2018 at Mahakalapada. Due to the delay, we are yet to get drinking water through pipelines. It is high time the state government took steps to complete the project at the earliest.”
Later in the day, officials of the local administration rushed to the protest site and held discussion with the agitating villagers. The road blockade was lifted after the officials assured to supply water to the affected villages through tankers.
Executive engineer of RWSS, Kendrapara Basant Nayak said during summer, the groundwater level in many villages gets depleted due to which tube-wells stop working.
“To solve the crisis, we are supplying drinking water through tankers in many villages. We are determined to complete the mega drinking water project this year. Almost 80 per cent of the infrastructure work has been completed. Pipeline laying work is now underway,” he added.