Bhubaneswar: The Odisha government has stepped up efforts to restore drinking water supply in cyclone-affected areas, with repair and disinfection work completed on nearly 98% of damaged tubewells across Ganjam, Gajapati and Kandhamal districts.
According to the latest figures released on November 3, repair and disinfection work has been completed on 4,608 of the 4,722 tubewells affected by the cyclone, accounting for 97.58% of the total.
Restoration of rural piped water supply systems is also progressing. Of the 402 affected rural piped water supply projects, work has been completed on 275, representing 68.41% of the total.
As part of emergency arrangements to ensure access to safe drinking water, the government has deployed 292 water tankers across the affected areas. These include 23 tankers in the Berhampur Municipal Corporation area and seven in Aska municipal area. Additionally, 80 Syntex tanks and 87 DG sets have been deployed to support drinking water supply arrangements.
The government has also positioned 12 mobile water treatment units to strengthen water treatment facilities and provide alternative sources of safe drinking water. Two of these units are operating in the Berhampur Municipal Corporation area, while one has been deployed in Aska.
To meet immediate drinking water requirements, authorities have distributed 4.55 lakh packets of bottled water and 3.20 lakh water pouches so far. A further 4.03 lakh packets of bottled water have been kept in stock for distribution whenever required.
Meanwhile, disinfection of drinking water sources is continuing across the affected districts to prevent contamination and ensure the availability of safe water.
Drinking Water Director Binit Bhardwaj is stationed in the affected areas to assess the situation and oversee restoration activities. He is monitoring repair work, the disinfection of water sources, and emergency drinking water arrangements, with emphasis on completing the restoration process without delay.
The department has said that its efforts will continue until safe drinking water is available to people in all affected areas and the damaged water supply systems are fully restored.
