Malkangiri: Uttam Mallik, a young businessman of MV-88 of the district has earned all round appreciations for his attempt to serve the tribal populace – by setting up drinking water projects in several villages by spending from his pocket.
Uttam has managed to drill deep bore-wells in 12 villages including his own village and installed water purifiers in every project, a report said.
According to reports, people of this tribally-predominant district have been reeling under drinking water scarcity for the past several years. This apart, many have been suffering from kidney ailments after consuming water containing excessive iron content.
“The number of deaths due to kidney diseases was on the rise. Therefore, I decided to facilitate safe drinking water for the people depending on my ability,” the trader said.
For instance, the MV-88 village has a population over 1,000 but they depend on four tube wells for drinking water as several attempts by Rural Water Supply and Sanitation (RWSS) department to set up supply water project had failed in the past. However, people continued to suffer from a variety of diseases by consuming water that contains excess iron.
Concerned over the issue, Uttam first drilled a deep bore well at his own village and attached a water purifier to address the drinking water problems of his fellow villagers.
Later, he put up such projects in 12 other villages of the district. Besides, he plans to extend his philanthropy to 19 other villages including Salemarikonda, Similibancha, Gorekhpalli and Balampalli in the next few days at his own expense, said Uttam.
He would continue to serve people by setting up drinking water projects in other areas of the district, the trader added.
Uttam has turned out to be a savior for the region, said a villager.
PNN
