The tribal dominated villages of Sukinda and Badachana blocks here have been reeling under water scarcity problem since April. As the temperature is on the rise, the problem is likely to be acute in coming days. Dubikhala, Balia, Ambadula, lembu, Rankia, Bandhaga, Bamanagar, Pimpudia, Kharadi and Patapur villages with a population of 50,000 tribals in Sukinda block and Bairi, Tanupur, Sukarpur, Chandia and other villages in Badachana block are the worst hit.
“The tube wells in these areas are in breakdown conditions and neither the Gram Panchayat (GP) nor the Block Development Office (BDO) tries to take any action to fight the water scarcity by repairing the tube wells,” said Sankar Charana Munda of lembu village. "Due to dysfunction of many tube wells, the villagers have been using the contaminated water from the ponds, rivers and other water sources.
The scarcity will be multiplied in the coming months. Many tribal persons, including women and children, have to walk miles in search of water," said Banshidhar Beuri of Rankia. Out of six tube wells in our village, only one tube well is working. As a result, all the villagers make a queue everyday to collect water.
Each day I rise early in the morning and have to stand in a long queue to collect water in buckets, said Manjulata Mudali of Bairi village. A search for water under the scorching sun is a daily routine for women and children of the tribal dominated villages. They also dig a dry riverbed in search of water. Sights of people walking in long lines with vessels on their heads are common.
With summer heat on the rise, the problem of acute shortage of drinking water has affected about 45 tribal dominated villages near the hillocks under Sukinda block and by all accounts, the steps claimed to have been taken by the Government is too little and too late, said Sarabara Jaraka of Bamananagar.
In many villages, one feels like living in a medieval period as locals drink polluted water from the ponds, ditches and other water bodies. The tribal women still have to walk for miles under the sun to fetch drinking water for their daily requirement.
"We have recently repaired many tube wells and other defunct tube wells will be repaired soon. Wherever there is scarcity, we will definitely provide water, either by tankers or by any means," said the Rural Water Supply and Sanitation (RWSS) engineer Sambhunath Sethi.