With summer time, water disaster returns to rural pockets of Odisha’s Sundargarh

By Express News Service

ROURKELA:  With onset of summer time, ingesting water disaster has returned to hang-out a number of dry and hilly rural pockets of tribal-dominated Sundargarh district forcing girls to stroll lengthy distances to fetch water from open wells. 

Among worst affected areas are hilly hamlets Lakraghara and Chuhura of Rungaon panchayat below Bagaraon block below Bagaraon block and Juaniani village of Rajbahal panchayat below Lefripada block. 
For about 50 households of Lakraghara and Chuhura hamlets, water disaster has grow to be part of life. At Lakraghara, affected villagers claimed that they must depend on a close-by open properly because the tube properly had gone defunct shortly after set up and a photo voltaic pump arrange additionally stopped working.

One of the ladies Sushila Tete stated they stroll about two km day by day to fetch water from an open properly. With summer time intensifying, their difficulties mount because the water of the open properly reduces additional.  The destiny is analogous for uncared for Juniani village of Lefripada block with a inhabitants of 130 individuals. Here too village girls reportedly acquire ingesting water from a distant open properly. They are additionally moreover burdened to boil the water as it’s unsafe for direct consumption. 

On February 16, 2021, Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik had laid basis for a mega rural piped water mission for Sundargarh (Sadar), Tangarpali, Lefripada, Balishankara, Subdega and Bargaon blocks of Sundargarh sub-division. The a lot hyped mission price about Rs 787 crore envisages to learn 3,78,790 inhabitants of 84 panchayats within the six blocks. 

Contacted, Rural Water Supply & Sanitation (RWSS) govt engineer for Sundargarh Division Hemant Barik stated, “As an immediate relief, the depth of the tube well would be increased at Lakraghara. Water crisis is not so acute at Chuhura. Still efforts would be made to provide villagers with easy access to water. The ongoing mega drinking water project scheduled to be completed in 2024 would cover all pockets of the six blocks to address drinking water woes forever.”