Potable water, main issue for flood-hit

SALEPUR: Delay in disinfecting tube-wells and standposts by the Rural Water Supply and Sewerage (RWSS) Department is creating resentment among the flood-hit people of the district who are now in need of drinking water.As many as 2,372 tube-wells were submerged in flood water at 457 villages under 14 blocks of the district. By Wednesday, the RWSS officials had disinfected just 373 tube-wells.  Similarly, of the total 61 piped water supply projects, only six projects have been disinfected.   While nine water tanks were pressed into service in the marooned areas, the RWSS (Cuttack division) has supplied 4,99,200 water pouches to the flood-affected people.  People, however, alleged that the number of water pouches supplied is much less than the requirement.   “Every day, we are given just three 250-ml pouches. How can we manage with only three pouches a day?” questioned Purna Chandra Rout of Ichhapur in the Birupa Genguti deltaic region in Mahanga block.   RWSS (Cuttack) Executive Engineer Kalpataru Sethy said efforts were on to disinfect all the water bodies and restore piped water drinking projects in the area.