Kendrapara: Skilled plumbers from this district have come forward to put in place overhead water tanks that were blown away by the severe cyclonic storm ‘Fani’ and repair pipelines in Bhubaneswar and Puri, where people are grappling with water shortage.
This coastal district is regarded as the country’s plumbing capital. “The district is home to a large number of plumbers. As Kendrapara was less affected by the cyclone, we sought the services of the plumbers for water supply restoration, said Public Health Engineering Organisation (PHED) assistant engineer BK Bal.
“But we had no contact with them. Through plumbing placement agencies and firms, batches of plumbers were brought in Bhubaneswar and Puri. They have done a good job in restoring water supply in many areas of the capital city,” Bal added.
Incidentally, large chunk of the plumbers, who work in various parts of the country, had arrived at their native homes to be with their families during the calamity.
This district, which bore the brunt of several cyclones in the past, was spared by cyclone ‘Fani’ with minimum damage this time.
The plumbers were brought to Bhubaneswar while they were planning to leave for their respective workplaces, Bal informed.
“Instead of bargaining with us while taking up the assignment, the plumbers expressed a strong desire to work in the crisis situation,” Bal pointed out.
“The skill and prompt work of the plumbers helped in partial restoration work in Jaydev Vihar and other parts of the capital city,” Adiyta Mohanty, an executive of a Bhubaneswar-based plumbing firm, said.
In several parts of this district, plumbing is a significant economic activity that has been providing income sources to thousands of families. This trend is in vogue for generations together in this district which incidentally doesn’t have any industry.
The plumbers mainly from Pattamundai, Aul, Rajnagar, Rajkanika and Aul region have spread their network in various places across the country and abroad. An official estimate put the number of migrant overseas plumbers at 20,000.