BHUBANESWAR: Amid rising water scarcity in some parts of the state during peak summer, Panchayati Raj and Drinking Water Minister Rabi Narayan Naik on Thursday said the government is committed to supplying safe drinking water to every rural household (HH) and village across the state.
Addressing mediapersons after reviewing the drinking water supply situation, the minister said the government has set a target to provide piped water connectivity to all villages by March 2027. The government is working in a mission mode to improve rural drinking water infrastructure and ensure uninterrupted supply of safe drinking water to people in remote and water-stressed areas, he said.
Giving details of the progress, the minister informed that out of 207 mega piped water supply projects taken up across the state, 33 projects have already been completed, benefitting 2,407 villages. Another 14 mega projects are expected to be complete by the end of the current month, which will extend drinking water supply to an additional 1,331 villages. Besides, water supply is already being provided to 3,210 villages through 35 partially-completed mega piped water projects.
Highlighting the expansion of rural water infrastructure, Naik said 18,552 single village schemes are currently supplying safe drinking water successfully, while 2,379 solar-powered piped water projects have been completed and made operational. To tackle water scarcity in vulnerable regions, the state has approved 37,876 tube wells across the state, he said.
The minister also said that 629 water tankers have been deployed in water-stressed areas and 8,781 temporary water kiosks, locally known as ‘Jalachhatras’, have been set up to provide drinking water during the summer season.
With these initiatives, piped drinking water supply has, so far, been extended to a total of 20,875 villages in the state, Naik said. He reiterated that the government remains firmly committed to ensuring access to clean and safe drinking water for every household, particularly in rural areas facing acute summer water shortages.
