As the mercury soars to record levels, the coal-rich Brajrajnagar is grappling with acute shortage of drinking water primarily due to the drying up of the Ib river. This has significantly affected the residents of MCl’s Ib Valley township, SOCP Gopi Vihar Colony and 28 peripheral villages of Brajrajnagar under Jharsuguda district even though MCl claims that it is able to meet the citizens’ water supply needs.
On Thursday, major union leaders of OCMS, HMS, BMS and AITUC staged a demonstration in front of the Samleswary opencast project MTK office from 9 am to 12 pm to protest against no supply of drinking water in Gopi Vihar colony for the last three days.
The union representatives claimed that there has been zero supply for the last 3 days from taps and residents are struggling for even basic water needs. Even though some water tankers have arrived, most families are able to barely accumulate any water due to poor crowd management.
The protesters also hurled slogans against MCl administration and threatened to stall work in case drinking water is not supplied at an immediate basis.
As a warning to the company, the union representatives stopped coal transportation and dispatch for 3 hours at MCl’s Samleswary opencast wherein hundreds of heavy earth machines and trucks were halted. After SOCP management assured the protesters that their demands would be met soon, the transportation work was resumed after 1 pm.
When contacted, SOCP senior manager BK Tripathy said that a water pipeline was broken and it is being replaced. He assured that the water supply will resumed by Thursday night. Besides, water tankers would also be sent to the respective localities on Friday to ensure proper supply of water.
The senior manager (Civil) of Ib valley area said, “Due to the excessive heat and drying up of the Ib river, we are experiencing a 45 per cent shortfall of water supply against 1.9 million gallon liter per day (MGD).We are trying to bore near an abandoned underground mine pit and have deployed an additional pump near the Ib river to source more water and meet the shortfall.”
When contacted, Ib Valley GM MS Sharma said that he has had a discussion with the district Collector regarding the matter in which he requested the Collector to provide some water supply to the villagers through PHED points via water tankers in the interim so that some immediate burden on the MCl is managed.