Harichandanpur: As the summer is headed for its peak, water crisis has deepened in various parts of this block in Keonjhar district. Baiganjharan Juanga Sahi in Sunapentha panchayat is the worst affected by water crisis. “To save our lives, we are bound to drink contaminated water from pits,” said residents.
About 40 tribal families reside in the village, but they have only one tube-well for their water needs.
“The water is reddish. It is neither used for bathing nor for drinking. Drinking from streams and pits is the only option for us. But little kids have chances of being affected by diseases after drinking the contaminated water,” the residents said.
It is alleged though lakhs of rupees are being spent for developing infrastructure in rural areas, the village has remained backward in the absence of basic facilities.
In the evenings and mornings, women and girls can be seen trekking with pots, pitchers and buckets in their hands to pits to fetch water.
The situation is more or less the same in another tribal-dominated village. Raghunathpur, just 1 km away from the block headquarters, is deprived of basic facilities.
Locals alleged cores of rupees are being utilised to push rural development, but they have been denied access to basic amenities and their village has remained backward in all sectors.
Electricity has been a distant dream for 100 tribal families residing in the village. In the absence of electricity, children face problems while studying at night.
“Our lives reel under darkness. Lack of drinking water has been a major problem for us,” some residents said.Sub-divisional officer of Ghatagaon electricity division, Debasish Puhan, said electricity problem of the village will be sorted out soon.
This summer, the water table has come down in the village. The lone tube-well in the village doesn’t deliver adequate water while people have to wait for hours in queue just for a pitcher of water. As dawn breaks, the tube-well is thronged by residents. Though the residents had taken up their drinking water problem with the higher concerned, nothing has been done in this direction, locals alleged.
The government has set up only one tube-well for 100 families, but its fails to meet the requirement of the people.
According to a report from Raisuan, the water crisis has become more acute in the area. People were seen collecting water from abandoned wells and ponds while the rural water supply and sanitation department has allegedly failed to provide them safe drinking water.
There is a borewell at Muslim Basti in Raisuan where over 150 families reside.
“We have to wait for hours to get a bucket of water. As safe drinking water is not available, we are forced to consume water from the abandoned well,” rued Saiful Alam, ward member of the area.
Locals alleged that diarrhoea is spreading in the area due to consumption of contaminated water. PNN
