Eight wards in Bargarh Municipality are not getting drinking water from PHD though `31 crore was sanctioned in 2009 for a water supply project at Bargaon for water to the civic body which has 19 wards. Since the project work has not been finished in 6 years, over 70,000 residents in Bargarh are not getting drinking water adequately.
The requirement of water of the municipality is 10 MlD, but only 4 MlD water is supplied from PHD to 11 wards. Some families depend on Zira river for drinking water. Consequently, by consuming untreated water they are increasingly falling vulnerable to various ailments.
A few months ago, a motor pump and machine worth Rs 20 lakh were stolen from the construction work of the Bargaon project. Meanwhile, the estimate cost of the project has risen to Rs 36 crore.