Government, Research Agency reach out to tribal villages in Nayagarh with safe drinking water

By Biswabhusan Mohapatra

Nayagarh, March 28: Dalipadar, a sleepy tribal village in Sariganda gram panchayat (GP) under Daspalla block of Nayagarh had only a lone IM-2 Tube well as the only drinking water source. Till today, the villagers suffered immeasurable difficulties owing to the quality of the water it yielded. The drinking water smelled foul and had a very high content of Fe (Iron) > 2.57 ppm which is much beyond the permissible limit as per Indian Drinking Water Standard of 0.3 ppm.

Though it can be accepted upto 1 ppm in the absence of any other alternative source of drinking water. But the lone Tube well of Dalipadar exceeded the permissible limits in several of the drinking water quality parameters let alone iron. The buckets, utensils had all turned dark brown because of it besides different health issues.

Several rounds of meeting with the villagers resulted in an application by them through the ward member Ms. Pratima Nayak and the local Sarpanch Ms. Kasturi Behera to Ms. Khyama Sarangi, DFO, Nayagarh to help in this regard.

Ms. Khyama Sarangi, DFO Nayagarh requested the Research & Study agency- Anwesha Adhyayan Strategies’ Director, Ms. Sriya Mohantyto do something on it.

This is the first collaboration of Government of Odisha with a research agency to solve community drinking water issue particularly in villages facing quality issues.

AAS analysed the raw water in a nationally accredited lab of IMMT, Bhubaneswar and found alarming levels of different quality parameters. Thus in collaboration with the scientists of IMMT, Dr. Debabrata Singh, terrafil filters developed were attempted to be used in a community setting so that the community can manage it on their own.

Since the raw water had biological contaminants as well, a high end India made chlorine dosing pump was installed to contain them.

The community was trained on regular operation and maintenance of the asset created and was handed over on 26th March, 2023.

The dual energy was sourced through both Grid and Solar and an AC/DC pump was installed to lift the water to the filtering unit.  Care was taken to keep the mechanical Tube well functional by changing the existing cylinder by a high quality brass cylinder of 2’’ diameter. This mechanical Tube Well would continue to serve the community for purposes other than drinking and cooking.

Hon’ble M.L.A. Mr. Ramesh Chandra Behera inaugurated the Drinking Water Purification Unit in presence of District Collector, Mr. Rabindra Kumar Sahoo, senior government officials and elected representatives.

This all women team- Ward Member, Sarpanch, DFO, Director-AAS was in sync with the International Women’s Day celebrated globally on 8th March.