Acute water crisis in Orissa

Bolangir (Orissa), May 13 (ANI): The residents of Bolangir in Orissa are facing an acute water crisis due to the intense heat wave and drought conditions.

The depletion of water table is due to rising temperatures and lack of rain in the area for the past seven months.

The flow of water in the rivers and water channels has been severely affected and so is the piped water supply.

Most of the resident are relying upon the tube wells for their daily chores. In many rural areas women have to walk as much as two to three kilometers to fetch water.

"We are facing lot of inconvenience. We have to go far to fetch water. We are not getting water in these hot days. We have just one water tap for almost a hundred families," said Ashadha Nag, a local resident.

Cashing in on the water crisis, some people have even begun the businesses of selling water.

"I charge rupees 10 for three tins of water. I am supplying water privately. I supply water to the people who ask me for it," said Dilip, a water supply labourer.

The Rural Water Supply and Sanitation Fund (RWSS) says that it is making efforts to deal with the crisis, but not much can be done until there is adequate rain.

Mobile vans have also been arranged to distribute water and new riser pipes are being installed.

"All the blocks have procured the riser pipes. They are changing the pipes. We are trying to make it more effective by using mobile vans," said Chitaranjan Mohanty, executive engineer of RWSS. (ANI)