In Jajpur district, people are suffering without getting drinking water while the industries are extracting groundwater virtually without any limit. Several companies are using ground water without permission.
There have been protests in the district for drinking water at various times, though.
The district has 10 mines in Kaliapani chrome valley, many washing plants, hundreds of crushers in Dharmachaya and Ladchana, 13 steel factories in Kalihingnagar, five cement factories in the district, multiple rice mills, peach plants, water packing plants and medium and small scale industries.
These facilities are using gallons of groundwater per day. Many organisations have not even taken permission to do so.
According to official data, 18 companies in the district are paying the water bill only, while Rs 70, 51, 35,000 is left on the remaining 28 institutions. A maximum of Rs 43,37, 80,000 is left on Idco alone.
Similarly, the Government data says that Rs 3,75,29,000 is due on Baleshwar Alloys mine, Rs 3, 41, 65,000 on Mishiralal ferro alloy plant, Rs 6,10,82,000 on Neelchal Steel, Rs 2, 19, 96,000 on the closed Konark jute mill, Rs 2, 58, 79,000 on Eastern Foods Rice Mill in Ladchana, Rs 1, 23, 70,000 on Midist Hotel in Chandikol, besides crores of rupees on multiple chromite mines, industrial units are pending.
Various companies have been wasting underground water by drilling boreholes. Drinking water projects in many areas have come to a standstill due to depletion of groundwater levels. Taking this issue seriously, there is a demand for stricter actions on the use of ground water.