Sambalpur: There is not enough water in the SMC area and there is no relief from water shortages

The people of Aithapali have been facing a lot of drinking water problems since the last festival and Holi. Near the police station are Saraswati Bihar, Amira Nagar, Kamaksha Nagar, Pragati Bihar, Old Checkgate Pada and so on. With more than 400 families living in the area, piped water supply has often been cut off. Annual maintenance is not carried out by the Department of Public Health. The complaint is. Again, illegal pipe connectors are not checked and raided. On the other hand, water is leaking and flowing in many places due to improper checking. One of the overhead tanks in the area was flooded with high-powered motor pumps, People have complained to the public health department officials that water is not flowing to other lower areas. Some even throw water on the road and destroy it. While the drinking water problem is acute, there has been widespread outrage that departmental officials have been reluctant to investigate.

Similarly, in the areas of AN Guha Lane, Budharja, Sakshipada, etc. under Bareipalli, despite repeated complaints, the water came in small currents in the morning and turned off after a few minutes. “Even today, people are being harassed because of the lack of water. Public health officials often do not pick up the phone. Regular replies from officials water is not reaching the bottom as people are installing motors. But the department has remained silent on the use of motors or pipes, water wastage or illegal connections. In urban areas, most homes do not have boreholes, and there are no wells. Residents of 18 metropolitan slums have to fight for water every morning. The Department of Public Health has only 10 tanks. This is not enough to supply water to the entire Sambalpur area. Even under the Hirakud Dam, there is no regular water supply in various parts of the Sambalpur Metropolitan Corporation.

Water shortages have been reported in various parts of the Sambalpur metropolitan area since the beginning of the summer. Thousands of illegal pipe connectors have been installed, according to the department. However, the number of consumers in the Sambalpur metropolitan area has doubled, while the water supply capacity has not increased. According to the department, 36,200 sub-6 people in the metropolitan area last year. This year, the number has risen to 47,236. Last year, 54 ml of water was supplied, but this year it has increased slightly to 70.5 ml. Meanwhile, city dwellers are being hunted for water.