The mega water supply project for Odhisha’s Rairakhol block is likely to miss its December 2021 deadline and around 115 villages will have to wait longer for piped water supply. This comes on the back of delayed forest clearance and the Covid-19 related issues.
According to the officials of the Rural Water Supply and Sanitation (RWSS), the construction work of the mega water supply project is ongoing at full pace. However, it will take an additional year to complete. The pipeline project is estimated to complete by December 2022. The mega project will supply water to about 15,000 houses of the village gram panchayats. The construction work was commenced in April 2020 and is being executed by Voltas Limited at an estimated cost of about Rs 96 crore. Rairakhol Manas Parida, a sub-divisional officer of RWSS, said that 85% of the pipeline work had been completed, 65% of the work on the intake well, and the work on four overhead tanks had been completed. He added that the construction work was also affected due to the Cpvoid-19 crisis. The delay in forest clearance of 4.9 acres of land in Kadaligarh also affected the delay. Under the water project, six minimal liquid discharge (MLD) treatment plants will be set up at Kadaligarh, and 14 overhead tanks will be installed in nine-gram panchayats. The water will be drawn from the Mahanadi river for the project. Image Source
