June 12th 2024.
Residents of Keonjhar town are facing a major crisis as the usual supply of drinking water has been severely disrupted. This unfortunate situation has been caused by the drying up of the reservoir created by the Badaghagara dam on the Machhakandana river. As a result, the taps in their homes have stopped providing clean water, causing great distress to the town's inhabitants. And with the extreme heat and humidity of this summer season, life has become unbearable for these residents, leading to resentment and anger towards the authorities.
The concern is that if the heatwave continues and there is no sign of rainfall in the near future, the situation may spiral out of control. The Badaghagara dam was constructed during the pre-Independence period when the district was under the rule of the former royals. The river water was lifted from the reservoir and supplied to the residents of Keonjhar town for drinking purposes. However, over time, the reservoir's water retaining capacity has decreased, and this year it has completely dried up, causing a halt in the drinking water supply to the town.
The residents are struggling to meet their daily water needs, as the minimal water supply in their homes is not enough. This has been an ongoing issue, and not just for a day or two. The sharp decline in the water level of the dam's reservoir has been a persistent problem, particularly affecting Ward No. 1 to Ward No. 7. The residents in these wards are facing immense difficulties due to the lack of drinking water supply to their homes and have resorted to relying on the few tube wells in the area. However, even getting a bucket of water from these tube wells has become a challenge, with long queues of people waiting for their turn.
Adding to the problem, many of the tube wells have stopped working, and the ponds in the wards are either dried up or undergoing renovation, making them unusable. The authorities of Keonjhar Municipality and the Public Health department have taken measures to alleviate the situation by providing drinking water through tankers. However, this has not been successful in solving the residents' issues, as they have to wait in long queues for just a bucket of water. One resident, Duryodhan Nayak of Ward No. 7, expressed his shock at seeing the river and reservoir completely dried up in his lifetime.
In response to the situation, Executive Engineer Narad Rath of the Public Health and Engineering department stated that they have been using a diesel motor pump to lift water from the reservoir since the water level decreased one and a half months ago due to the lack of rainfall. He also warned that if there is no rainfall soon, it will be impossible to continue supplying water to the households in the town. The residents of Keonjhar town can only hope for some relief in the form of rain, as they continue to face the daily struggle of accessing clean drinking water.
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