Bhubaneswar: Out of 314 blocks in the state, safe drinking water is not available from tube wells in as many as 162 of them, Panchayati raj and Drinking water Minister Pratap Jena has said.
Replying to a question of BJD’s Bhupinder Singh (BJD), the minister Tuesday told the Assembly that out of the 162 blocks, high percentage of fluoride is found in ground water in 30 blocks, iron in 104 blocks and saline in 28 blocks.
The government, Jena said, has set up 800 de-fluoridation plant so far in fluoride affected villages and 640 iron removal plants in areas where the level of iron content is very high.
Saline sealing of the tube wells is being done in areas where the saline content in ground water is high, the minister said adding that the people are advised not to use the water from the tube wells which contains high percentage of fluoride, iron or saline.
Steps are being taken to provide water to these habitats through major irrigation projects after disinfecting the ground water.
The minister said iron removal plant has been set up in 245 gram panchayats, de-fluridation plant in 223 gram panchayats, pressure filter in 82 gram panchayats, infiltration gallery in 578 gram panchayats and water treatment plant in 42 gram panchayats.