In Odisha, only 2.5 per cent of the rural households have access to piped water supply.

To a question of MlA Dilip Ray on the status of water supply in the State in the Assembly, Rural Development Minister Badri Narayan Patra stated that 79 lakh houses in the State face water scarcity and this is despite abundance of water resources in the State.

Piped drinking water is provided to 2, 03,776 houses out of the total of 81, 55, 383 houses. The crisis is more acute in the districts of Angul, Balangir, Bhadrak, Boudh and Puri where only 1 per cent of people have access to piped drinking water, the Minister informed.

Asked about the number of defunct tube wells in the State, the Minister failed to provide any data.

Ray maintained that although the Government data states that nearly 4,19,364 tube wells have been commissioned, in the absence of data regarding functional tube wells, nothing clear can be inferred about their capability to cater to the drinking water need of the people. Neglect of maintenance works renders many tube wells defunct costing the treasury heavily, added Ray.

Ray further said that the Government aims at providing pipe drinking water facilities to all families by 2025, but given the pace of construction of supply line, the mission can hardly be achieved. The Government must stay updated on the actual facts on the ground and ascertain the exact status of water supply infrastructure in the State, Ray demanded.

He suggested that a well-monitored and well-coordinated implementation mechanism could facilitate achievement of the target set by the Government. The programme of construction should be accompanied by a maintenance regimen which could save precious resources from wastage.

With seriousness of purpose and adherence to discipline in execution of projects, the Government can effectively tackle drinking water crisis in the State, opined Ray.