BARIPADA: Students of Nuasahi government primary school in Mayurbhanj’s Rasgovindpur block staged protest on Monday demanding safe drinking water.
The agitating students along with their parents alleged that despite repeated appeals to the authorities, no steps had been taken to provide safe drinking water to the school and the village. They said Nuasahi village under Amarda panchayat has not yet been covered under the Basudha drinking water supply scheme.
Villagers said although there are two tube-wells, one is lying defunct for a long time while the other yields muddy and contaminated water, rendering it unfit for consumption. As a result, residents depend on water from an abandoned well for their daily needs. For drinking purposes, many families fetch water from Sundarkuli village in Balasore’s Basta block.
The water shortage has also severely affected the functioning of the government school, which has 41 students enrolled from Shishu Vatika to Class V. Due to the lack of water on the campus, students are forced to wash their midday meal plates in a nearby pond. The same area is also used for sanitation purposes, raising concerns over the possible spread of waterborne diseases such as cholera and typhoid.
School authorities said they had repeatedly brought the matter to the notice of officials, including the the Rasgovindpur block development officer (BDO). They later submitted a written complaint to Morada MLA and Housing and Urban Development Minister Krushna Chandra Mahapatra on April 13. However, no steps were taken in this regard, they claimed.
Contacted, BDO Ananta Kumar Hansdah said funds have already been sanctioned for the installation of a new tube-well at the school and assured that the work would be taken up soon.
