Khaira: Water problem of people living around Sarisua hills under Khaira block in Balasore district has been perennial. Many tube wells have been sunk in the area, but they have become defunct due to rocky and hilly nature of the landscape, locals said.
Often, the block administration supplies water though tanks to people. But the water is insufficient to meet their needs.
According to a report, the government executes Basudha Yojana to ensure safe drinking water to people in rural areas, but a project under this scheme has failed to deliver the goods in the area.
A mega drinking water project with a capacity of 1 lakh litres was set up at Gadapokhari Badadanda. Besides this 50 tube wells were to be set up.
The cost of the mega drinking project was Rs 1.25 crore while Rs 90,000 has been allocated for each tube well.
The project was inaugurated August 31, 2019 while foundation stones for 50 tube wells were laid.
However, the project has been lying defunct for the last five months, locals lamented. As the locals of Gadapokhari, Baunsagadia, Kainthagadia panchayats have been facing severe water crisis even days ahead of summer, they warned of an agitation.
Locals said when the project work started in 2018, it was stated to be a permanent solution to the perennial water problem. Its inauguration was done amid much fanfare. This ignited a lot of hope for the locals.
“The project is ineffective. Our hopes for a solution to the drinking water crisis have vanished,” said locals like Kanakalata Sethi, Prahllad Naik and Purnima Muduli, of Badadanda.
The boring of 17 tube wells has been completed while these projects have not progressed beyond that work.
The way works are being carried out for the tube well projects gives an impression that they may not be completed before summer. We will have to face crisis this year,“ rued Mnajulata Khatua and Brahmananda Mohanty.
Roupya Ranjan Behera, assistant engineer of RWSS, said electricity supply to the drinking water project has been settled. It will be workable soon while all tube wells will be set up by March 31, he added.
