Villagers of Nabarangpur district thristing for water
Nabarangpur: With the onset of summer, many villages in Nabarangpur district are in the grip of a drinking water crisis.
Tendeka Dongri village, under Jharigaon block, around 3 km from Jharigaon block headquarter, is facing acute drinking water scarcity. There is no tube-well in the village which has a population of around 400 in 70 families.
Sources said teachers at the local school are urging students to wear clean clothes, but they are forced to wear dirty unwashed clothes due to lack of water. Students and villagers are forced to soiled clothes due to lack of water for washing.
This is the reality of village Tendaka Dangri. Though it is only three km from the block headquarters, development shows it is 50 years backward. The only source of water for the neglected villagers is to trek several km. Every day from children to pregnant women walk several km to get drinking water from a source which provides mostly turbid water. This is the only hope for people to drink and bathe.
The villagers say there are three stagnant tube wells, with no running water. In the absence of piped water or a clean source, they are forced to use turbid water. Stating that they are facing health hazards due to usage of contaminated water, they accuse the administration of turning a blind eye to their plight.
The villagers, mostly daily wagers, have to trek in scorching sun to secure clean water for daily household use. Besides, there is no river near the village to alleviate their misery.
Water scarcity is also a concern for villagers of Dongriguda, under Umerkote block, which has a single tube-well. Women have to stand in long queues for hours to meet their water needs. Frustrated with the administration's apathy, women of Semlidora, Deopur and Dongriguda, under Umerkote block, have threatened to protest if no steps are taken to mitigate the crisis. When contacted, Block Development Offcer Himanchal Majhi said, "Steps have been taken to tackle the crisis on a war-footing."