Bhubaneswar: The state cabinet headed by chief minister
Naveen Patnaik on Thursday approved five
drinking water projects worth Rs 370 crore for 217 fluoride-affected villages in
Nuapada district.
The project is expected to benefit over two lakh people in four blocks - Khariar, Boden, Nuapada and Komna - in the district. "With assistance from the Rural Infrastructure Development Fund, these projects will be implemented within 24 months," chief secretary A P Padhi told reporters after the cabinet meeting. Larsen and Toubro Limited will execute the drinking water projects.
Fluoride-contamination in drinking water sources have been noticed in 1,658 habitations in 16 districts of the state. Of these, Nuapada seems the worst affected, with 905 habitations severely affected by fluoride. Habitations are rural villages and hamlets, sometimes comprising fewer than two or three households.
While pipe water supply systems have already been extended to as many as 317 habitations in Nuapada, projects worth Rs 250 crore are under progress. These will cover 371 fluoride-affected habitations in the district.
"The state government is committed to providing safe potable drinking water to all the habitations of the district, from different perennial surface sources like reservoirs and rivers," Padhi said.
The cabinet also approved an under-ground pipe line (UGPL) irrigation system worth Rs 243 crore in the lower Indra, that would facilitate irrigation of 13,800 hectares in Nuapada and Balangir districts.
"The state government faces difficulties in construction of canals due to problems in land acquisition and non-co-operation of land owners who demand unrealistic compensations. To overcome these difficulties and for timely completion of canal projects, the state government had decided to implement the UGPL irrigation system," said water resources secretary P K Jena.
The state government will take up the Lower Indra UGPL project on a pilot basis.
