People Struggle for Drinking Water; Residents Forced to Drink Polluted River Water
There is still an acute shortage of drinking water not only in coastal areas but also in interior locations, which indicates that there is a need for improvement in the execution of the government drinking water projects. A field report from Manpur village (Ward No. 9) under Bhuiyapur Panchayat, Aali Block, Kendrapara district reveals the harsh truth of villagers’ everyday lives.
Even though the provision of piped drinking water in the village under the Basudha Yojana project is reported, the real scenario contradicts those reports. The villagers depend on river water for their basic requirements. As the temperature increases, villagers (mainly women) have to walk miles with pots and buckets to collect water from the rivers.
However, the condition worsens because the water in the river is contaminated, as it contains drainage discharge and garbage. People are worried about whether they can drink water like that or not.
Moreover, the tube wells in the area have been non-functional for the last five years. About seventy households from the locality have been complaining for years, but nothing permanent has been done yet.
On contacting the BDO, he was aware of the problem and claimed that the higher authorities had already been informed concerning the provision of tube wells. He made it clear that once the approval for the installation process is received, their problem would be sorted out.
Despite that, villagers still hope for an appropriate response to their concerns. Indeed, many important questions have been raised concerning the effectiveness of government programs and if indeed everyone would get access to drinking water.
