Two Years Overdue: Jajpur's ₹178 Crore Water Crisis

A major drinking water project worth ₹178 crore in Odisha’s Jajpur district remains incomplete, leaving nearly 2 lakh residents across 35 Gram Panchayats in Dasarathpur block without reliable access to clean water.

Launched in 2019 with a target completion date of December 2022, the project has made little headway. Progress has been hampered primarily by delays linked to the widening of National Highway 20, as well as reported administrative inefficiencies. In the absence of piped water, villagers are forced to depend on a limited number of tube wells.

Manoj Kumar Behera, Assistant Engineer at the Rural Water Supply and Sanitation (RWSS) department, stated, “Pipeline installation is complete in 25 gram panchayats. However, the ongoing road expansion has posed infrastructure challenges. Work will resume once the highway construction is finished.”

Local residents have expressed growing frustration. “Water scarcity is worsening by the day. We’ve appealed to the authorities repeatedly, but nothing has changed,” said Pramod Mohanty, a villager. Another resident, Paramanda Mallick, urged, “We want the project completed soon.” Villagers also criticized the construction firm for deploying too few workers, further slowing progress.

News by Rahul Yelligetti.