The National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) has expressed satisfaction over the steps taken by Cuttack district administration for supplying potable drinking water to at least 265 villagers from Narasinghpur, Athagarh, Tagadiya and Digaria blocks.
However, the apex human rights watch dog expects the district administration to provide proper medical treatment to the villagers suffering from the dreaded kidney disease caused due to contaminated drinking water.
The NHRC considering the issue of contaminated water in Narasinghpur, Athagarh and Digaria block of Cuttack district, raised by rights activist Radhakanta Tripathy, closed the case as the State authorities informed that as many 265 villages have been freed from drinking water contaminated with heavy metals and pollutants.
Tripathy in his petition before the NHRC earlier had alleged that the villagers of several blocks in Cuttack district were forced to drink contaminated water having traces of heavy metal, which resulted into kidney disease in large scale.
Pursuant to the notice of the NHRC, the report received from the Collector and District Magistrate, Cuttack said there are 1631 hand-pumps / tube-wells in the block out of which 711 are in running condition.
The tube-wells having contaminated water source have been marked “X” in Red colour and the villagers have been advised not to extract water from them Additionally rural piped water supply scheme is functional in two blocks providing safe drinking water.
A mega piped water supply project covering the entire 205 villages of Narasinghpur Block has been approved to provide drinking water, work of which has been awarded to L&T limited and is likely to be commissioned during May, 2021,whereas detailed project report for mega piped water supply scheme to cover all villages of Digaria and Athagarh Blocks has been prepared and is under approval stage, in which it is proposed to extract potable drinking water sourced from river Mahanadi.
Meanwhile, a new rural piped water supply scheme has been completed for certain villages in Tagadiya Block. The NHRC considered the report as satisfactory for the sensitivity and concern already shown by the State Government.
However, the NHRC said the State Government is also expected to provide proper medical treatment to the villagers suffering from the dreaded kidney disease.
Earlier, in another case filed by Tripathy on fluoride drinking water case, the Commission (in its recent order sought reports from the Secretary, Science and Technology, Government of India and also from the Secretary, Ministry of Water Resources of Central, State and Union Territories with a time bound plan to eliminate fluoride from the contaminated drinking water.
The NHRC also issued warning notice to the District Collector, Naupada, for the lackadaisical attitude in submission of report concerning a seven-year-old case of drinking water and tackling the issue of fluorosis.