Women protest scarcity of drinking water in Odisha

BHUBANESWAR: Women led by mahila congress leaders on Monday staged demonstration at different districts of the state protesting acute shortage of drinking water and state government's alleged failure to supply potable water to its people.

As a mark of protest, the women broke earthen pots in front of respective offices of the collector and sub-collector of the districts after coming in procession.

Odisha pradesh mahila congress committee president Sasmita Behera led a group of women at Puri and staged demonstration in front of the district collector's office there protesting state government's alleged failure in providing safe drinking water to people of the state.

Behera said water woes have created a major problem in western and middle part of Odisha as temperature is on the rise every day. People stand in queues for hours to get a pot of water in several areas. Odisha known for its rivers is facing the worst situation to cope of with water crisis, she said.

The women leader said people contracted jaundice as they could not get safe drinking water. "Forget about rural areas, people of Bhubaneswar, the smartest city of the country, can't get potable water and fell prey to jaundice virus. Cities like Cuttack and Sambalpur have also witnessed the same situation. What can we expect from this government which fails to provide even basic amenities like drinking water," she alleged.

Except Bhubaneswar, the protest rally took place at cities like Cuttack, Berhampur, Sambalpur and Rourkela. "We will stage a massive rally at the state capital on the issue after assembly starts," Behera said.

Odisha pradesh congress committee president Prasad Harichandan said the state government is not well prepared to tackle the drinking water crisis in the state though it had information about the scanty rainfall and drought situation. "People are struggling daily to get water as its level is decreasing at several places. Due to mindless drawing of water by the industrial houses, water-level is depleting," he said, "We will intensify our movement to impose pressure on the government to provide water to people."

BJD spokesperson Pratap Keshari Deb said the state government has taken all steps to solve water woes. "This year rainfall was low. So water bodies have less water. Still government is trying to solve the problem," he added.