Dhenkanal: Piped drinking water continues to remain a distant dream for thousands of residents of Dhenkanal town if official numbers are anything to go by. For a civic body with over 75,000 souls, the city gets nearly 25 per cent less water than what it should, reports suggest.
Also read: Rural pockets reeling under drinking water crisis
As against a requirement of 12 million litres of water per day (MLD) in the town, only nine MLD of drinking water is being supplied these days. Even though the Brahmani river feeds six MLD of drinking water, an intake well at Mahisapat area under ward 8 provides three MLD every day.
Apparently, the shortage of additional three MLD has aggravated drinking water crisis. It was learnt that, out of 23 wards within Dhenkanal civic limits, residents of five wards have been deprived of drinking water.
“Water crisis has become worse at Dandasahi of Kanchan Bazar, Anandanagar, Banamaliprasad, Town Planning Area, Banjhakusum, Gajamara and Kutunia areas. On an average, public health department (PHD) supplies drinking water only for one hour in these areas in a day varying according to different zones,” a local resident said.
Nearly 330 tube wells and 221 water stand-posts within Dhenkanal municipal limits have become defunct over time. At several places, supply pipelines have also developed cracks thereby causing severe leakage.
Even though the PHD department has requested Central Electricity Supply Utility of Odisha (CESU) authorities for making necessary provision of separate uninterrupted power supply to the department in order to facilitate water supply during power cuts and load shedding, CESU is yet to have taken any step in this regard.
On being contacted, Dhenkanal PHD additional executive engineer Alekha Bihari Parida said, “At the moment, there is no proposal for drinking water supply from Mahanadi river. Though pipeline laying work was halted in five wards following COVID-19 outbreak, it has already resumed. People are suffering more during power cuts and load shedding, as CESU authorities have not taken any step”.
Locals, meanwhile, have demanded another intake well on Brahmani river that will help address the drinking water crisis.
PNN
