People seek check dams to overcome water crisis

JAGATSINGHPUR: With summer approaching, villagers of Balikuda, Erasama, Kujang and Tirtol have started facing acute scarcity of water.

People living along the Devi river have demanded that the State Government should initiate construction of small barrage and check dams in different locations across the Devi river and its tributaries to resolve the crisis.

The groundwater level has receded by three to four metres in the last fortnight in various areas of the district. This has prevented water accessibility through tube wells and wells.
Earlier, water could be accessed by digging 100 feet deep into the ground. But now, water could be accessed only after digging 200-250 feet deep. This is forcing people to consume contaminated water as groundwater depletion has led to increased presence of salinity, iron and fluorides in water supplied through tube well. Insufficient piped water supply has compounded the problem further, with women walking for about 2-3 km to fetch water.

“The panchayat has decided to supply water through tankers from next week as groundwater depletion has rendered tube wells almost inoperative and piped water supply is grossly inadequate,” said Gadharishpur Sarpanch Bhimsen Rout.

Meanwhile, the proposed pipe water supply project, estimated at `137 crore with water to be channelled from the Devi river near Devidola under Naugaon block and pipe line to be laid at Erasama through Balikuda block, has not yet been completed. After completion of this project, 64 villages with acute water crisis under Balikuda block and 57 villages under Erasama block with a population 1,11,188 will be benefited.

Rural Water Supply and Sanitation (RWSS) Assistant Engineer Abhimanyu Das said drinking water through tankers will be supplied to Gadbishnupur and Gadharishpur panchayats. The laying of pipe line and installation of mega pipe water project on the Devi river will be completed soon.
Check dams and water storage schemes have become the main demand of the villagers as low-cost structures will be primarily used for lift irrigation, recharging of groundwater and providing drinking water facility to nearby villages.