A seminar on Baleswar city sanitation was organised here by NGO Centre for Policy research (CPR) in association with the North Orissa Chamber of Commerce and Industry (Nocci).
Several facts and figures were presented by the CPR which they found during their survey and documentation pertaining to sanitation of Baleswar Municipality using various tools including GIS mapping.
As per latest population survey report the population of Baleswar Municipality is 1,18,162 and 59 per cent of them reside in the slum areas.
The study revealed that 42 per cent households while have pipe water supply, 60 per cent households have septic tank. The open defecation per cent is 17 against the State average 30. The defecation was observed more in the sides of rail lines and river side villages.
The seminar entitled ‘Sahajogita’ while was organized for building partnership for Swachh Baleswar, several experts participating shared information and sough to find solutions. MP RK Jena, CPR senior fellow Subhagato Dasgupta, Bill and Milinda Gate Foundation senior programme officer Madhu Krishna, municipality Chairman Alok Sahu, Nocci president Devasis Mohanti, besides district officials and representative from PXE and Pollution Board deliberated in the seminar.
MP Jena informed that since Baleswar city had been included under AMRUT scheme there would be surge in the infrastructure and services.
Municipality Chairman Alok Sahu said Rs 38 crore would be spent on replacing old water supplying pipe lines to prevent diseases owing to water contamination.