Sambalpur: The district administration as also the civic officials are hard at work to ensure regular supply of drinking water to the needy at all public places across the district as the summer has already caught up with people’s lives in the region. The idea is also to save inhabitants from sun-stroke deaths.
Sun-stroke deaths are a regular phenomenon in the district due to its extreme atmospheric temperature. The bitter experience of 1998 is still in public memory. As many as 127 people died of sun-stroke in the district that year as per government records. Unofficial records put the toll at 200. This year, so far, only one such death has been reported.
As many as 15 persons had died of sun stroke in the last three years, as per official figures, but other sources put this number at 25.
The district level coordination committee (DLCC) held a meeting as is mandatory before the onset of summer to take stock of the situation and review the preventive and preparatory measures taken by the district administration. Officials told the meeting that they have taken several steps to reduce the peoples’ sufferings as also the sun-stroke toll this year.
In a readjustment of time, offices will now have morning shift while schools have to be closed before noon, at 11am as part of the preventive steps. The advancement of summer vacation for schools is also a part of that exercise this year.
Officials are taking steps to ensure that no field work takes place between 12 noon and 3am even in the private sector. This includes works at construction sites and those involving other field labour. Moreover, the district administration will ensure that there should not be any dearth of drinking water in public places so that the needy can quench their thirst at will.
Collector Samarth Verma said about 750 water kiosks would be made functional in the district. This includes about 100 in the Sambalpur Municipal Corporation (SMC) area. The collector said he has tried to standardize the water kiosks by announcing there should be 10 mud-pots settled on sand base to store cool drinking water, along with five tumblers and two mugs to dispense water to the needy. Moreover, these kiosks are to be located at a shaded place and preferably under a tree shade, as per instructions from the collector.
SMC commissioner Bimalendu Rai said there will be no dearth of drinking water in those water kiosks. The rural water kiosks are managed by block offices and the SMC would take care of its 101 water kiosks including 52 in Sambalpur city area, 10 in Burla, 10 in Hirakud, 18 in Dhankauda and 19 in Maneswar area.
