Raruan: The government spends crores of rupees for providing safe drinking water in rural pockets, but many villages in the tribal-dominated Raruan area in Keonjhar district have been deprived of this basic facility, making the Swajala Dhara Yojana ineffective.
People from Salaralapentha village in Mahadeijoda panchayat have been drinking water from ponds or pits due to the absence of safe drinking water there.
Around 600 people have been living in the village, 20 km from the district headquarters. Over 90 per cent of the people belong to the scheduled tribe community. Though the government has constructed two tube wells but they have been lying defunct for a long time.
The locals have drawn the attention of panchayat and block authorities but no steps were taken so far to provide drinking water, said Sanjay Sahu, a social activist.
“The government has failed to supply drinking water in the area. In rainy season, many people have been affected by diarrhoea and cholera by drinking water from contaminated sources like ponds and pits, but the district administration has been in deep slumber,” he rued.
He urged the authorities to take immediate steps to save people from diseases. Locals demanded that the administration should take measures to repair tube wells. PNN
