Bhubaneswar: The state government will soon launch an integrated river management plan to restore rivers flowing near urban settlements for meeting the drinking water needs of residents.
Many urban centres like Bhubaneswar, Puri and Khurda are expected to face severe water crisis in coming years due to rise in population and depletion of groundwater levels. Moreover, water flow in rivers near cities like Bhubaneswar is decreasing.
Experts say that the city’s population is expected to cross 25 lakh by 2030. Hence, it is likely to face a severe water crisis in future.
Water Resources department sources said the government has planned to revitalise Kuakhai, Daya, Bhargabi and Luna rivers through an integrated river management plan in the first phase.
“All these rivers originate from Kathajodi, a distributary of Mahanadi. The government will construct dams and barrages on these rivers and dredge their beds to revive the water flow. The project is being planned keeping in view the water needs for the next 30 years,” said a source in the department.
The government has engaged the Pune-based Central Water and Power Research Station (CWPRS) to survey the Kuakahi river and give suggestions for revitalisation.
“The CWPRS will conduct a survey from Kuakhai river’s source in Kathajodi to its meeting point in Chilika Lake. It will submit the survey report within four months. We will take steps after getting the report,” said the department Secretary Pradeep Jena.
Sources claimed that construction of barrages on rivers and dredging their beds will help in raising groundwater levels. Besides, the project will enable the government to meet the drinking water needs of cities.
“Now, we are supplying 90 litres of water per head per day in Bhubaneswar against a requirement of 150 litres. The situation may worsen in future. So, the integrated river management plan can help us overcome the crisis,” said an official of the Public Health Engineering Organisation (PHEO).
According to sources, at least 40 per cent of people in urban areas of the state are yet to get drinking water supply. PHEO sources claimed that they are supplying 920 million litres of water per day to 70 lakh people staying in 114 urban settlements including those in the five municipal corporations.
“We are supplying water to 62 per cent of people in urban areas. 1,181 wards have been fully covered with water supply while 710 wards were covered partially. We are yet to supply drinking water to 137 wards in the state,” said a source in PHEO.
Sources claimed that only 24 wards in Bhubaneswar have been fully covered by piped water supply and the remaining 42 wards are partially covered. The city’s population is believed to have crossed the 10 lakh mark a few years ago.
Moreover, the PHEO is yet to provide drinking water facility to all wards of Cuttack having a population of 6.7 lakh. “Altogether 44 wards of Cuttack have been provided piped water while we have covered the remaining 15 wards partially,” said a PHEO official.
Sambalpur with a population of 3.75 lakh is yet to be fully provided tap water facility. The residents of 22 wards here are getting drinking water supply while 18 wards of the city have been partially covered by PHEO. However, the residents of a ward in Sambalpur are yet to get water supply.
The government has also failed to provide drinking water supply to the 3.9 lakh residents of Berhampur. Only seven wards of the city have been fully covered by tap water supply while the remaining 33 wards have been only partially covered, PHEO sources said.