Kendrapada villagers protest for drinking water

Kendrapada: The residents of Kendrapada district’s Mahakalapada block on Sunday sat on a dharna by placing pots and buckets on the road at Belara Nuagaon, demanding safe drinking water and repair of damaged pipelines.The villagers blocked the movement of buses and other vehicles for around three hours, prompting officials to rush to the village and talk to them. They later assured the protesters of addressing their concerns. “During summers, the groundwater level in many villages gets depleted and as a result, many tube wells stop functioning. To solve the water crisis, we are supplying drinking water through tankers in many villages and we are also repairing the damaged water pipelines,” Subrat Sahoo, the assistant engineer of rural water supply and sanitation (Mahakalapada block), said.“We have been facing erratic water supply for a long time. Despite bringing the issue to the notice of officials concerned on several occasions, no action was taken,” Chittaranjan Sahoo (29) of Belaranuagaon village said.The residents also took out a rally and shouted slogans demanding an alternative or regular supply of water in their villages.“We have been demanding water since long after the pipelines laid by the govt were damaged last year, resulting in leakage and no water supply to the villages. We urged the authorities umpteen times to repair the damaged pipelines and repair all the defunct tube wells in our villages,” Bidyadhar Swain, the sarpanch of Teregaon panchayat, said.“We would intensify our protest if the water supply department fails to provide water through tankers everyday,” Mahendra Rout of Teregaon said.