Bhawanipatana: The government executes Swjaladhara Yojana to ensure safe drinking water to people in rural pockets, but this scheme has been a dream for people in remote pockets of Kalahandi district. They have to face a lot of difficulties in availing safe drinking water and have to collect water from streams and rivulets.
A flock of women gathering around a stream is found routinely at Dedhashuli panchayat under Madanpur Rampur block. Reports said, people of Jamuli village are dependent on a stream for drinking water.
“We have no safe drinking water facility. This stream meets our water needs throughout the year,” they lamented.
For years, they have been facing water crisis. They had taken up the issue with the local sarpanch and the BDO about defunct water project. “But no step is being taken to redress the issue,” they rued,
“We have no safe drinking water within a 2 km radius of the village. The block administration spends a lot funds for drinking water projects in other villages. But, we are deprived of this,” residents lamented.
Consumption of contaminated water from the stream often causes health hazards for people. The RWSS had tried to set up deep bore wells at some places in the past, but projects had to be abandoned due to rocky ground.
Residents and people’s representatives demanded that the administration set up a safe drinking water project in the area so that people will be able to ward off diseases.
PNN