No end to water woes of Jharana Sahi villagers

Bhubaneswar: While the real heat of summer is yet to come, the villagers of Jharana sahi under Badakhamana Panchayat in Mayurbhanj district are already facing acute water scarcity which has made their life miserable.

“We walk more than two km everyday to fetch water for our daily chores. We get water from wells, which is dirty and contaminated; children are getting sick by drinking the water,” said Rangalata Singh of the sahi.

The village has more than 100 families, mostly tribal. They depend on the unclean water of the wells, consumption of which making them vulnerable to waterborne disease. The villagers claim that they have approached the village Sarpanch and also the local administration with the issue several times, but all in vain.

“The local administration assured us each time we took the issue up, but no step has been taken so far,” another villager Satrughan Biswal laments.

Meanwhile, Udala Block BDO Sutaru Bala said that RWSS should dig tubewell in Jharana sahi. “Besides, the administration has already sanctioned a new tubewell in the village under Gopabandhu Gramin Yojana. The RWSS department will dig the well, following which the issue can be solved soon, Bala added.