Rairangpur: Even as people have been facing drinking water crisis during summer in Rairangpur area of Mayurbhanj district, the government has proposed a mega drinking water project in which water is to be supplied from Bankidal irrigation dam. However, despite the need for drinking water in the area, locals have opposed the use of the dam water for drinking purpose.
The opposition against this proposal came to the fore at a meet with the administration and members of some pani panchayats. The talks remained inconclusive Thursday due to opposition.
Reports said, Rairangpur sub-collector Dharmananda Behera, executive engineer of Rirangpur irrigation sub-division Ajay Kumar Behera, assistant engineer of Bankidal river dam project Sagar Samat Samal, executive engineer of RWSS division Ratnakar Siala, and other officials discussed the drinking water need of the area and the issues of the dam with members of 17 pani panchayats.
The officials convinced the members of the panchayats that a mega drinking water project, if set up in the area, will cater for the increasing drinking water needs of the people in Rairangpur block and the town in all seasons.
The members of the pani panchayat observed that farmers in the area have been facing a lot of problems for deficient supply of water from the dam during rabi and kharif seasons.
“There is always deficient rainfall in the dam while the dam is unable to store water in summer. The water in the dam is too insufficient to cater for the irrigational need of farmers in the rabi and kharif season,” they pointed out.
“In such situation, setting up of a mega drinking water project using the water of the dam will worsen the situation in the farming sector,” they added.
The RWSS has proposed two mega drinking water projects in the area – one at Khadakhar (Chhatapal-Bharandia) under Biritala block and the other at Domuhani under Rirangpur block.
As the talk has failed, the fate of the project is uncertain.
