Parts of Odisha's Sambalpur city face acute water scarcity

Sambalpur (Odisha) [India], April 5 (ANI): Various areas of Odisha's Sambalpur district are experiencing acute drinking water shortage in the past few days with rising temperature adding to the problems of the people.
Water is supplied to the city from two treatment plants located at Bareipali and Modipara. The plant at Bareipali has a capacity to treat 42 million litres of water per day while the Modipara can treat 11 million litres a day.
Though water was being supplied through tankers to some water-scarce areas, parts of the city, including Dhanupali, Durgapali, Cheruapara, Stationpara, Talbhatapara, Charbhati, Chandan Nagar, Saraswat Colony, Bhatra, Kanijuri are experiencing erratic and inadequate water supply.
Many localities of the city have not been provided with a water supply connection, thus adding to the woes of the people.
"Our locality is yet to get the water supply connection. Residents of here are dependent on one stand-posts for drinking water which was also damaged during a flood," said a resident named Samrudhin Khan.
He added that the water supply through tanker in their locality is also not enough as these tankers are not coming on a consistent basis.
Meanwhile, the sub-divisional officer of Public Health Engineering Organisation Jadab Chandra Dehuri, said: "We are taking measures to meet the demand for water. We have pressed many water tankers into service in water-scarce pockets."
"We have also decided to hire more water tankers as we have already sent proposals to higher authorities for the approval to get more tankers for water supply to these areas," the sub-divisional officer said.
The mercury has crossed 42 degrees Celsius in the city in the past few days. Sixteen places in Odisha recorded temperature above 40 degree Celsius on Wednesday with Baripada in Mayurbhanj district recording the highest temperature of 44.6 degree Celsius.
According to the meteorological centre of Bhubaneswar, heatwave conditions may continue to prevail for two days at few places in the districts of north interior Odisha and at one or two places in the districts of north coastal Odisha and South interior Odisha. (ANI)