Nabarangpur: By June this year, safe drinking water will be supplied to Badabarli village in Papadahandi block under the mega drinking water project. On this matter, Executive Engineer of the Drinking Water Supply Department, Prateek Kumar Raut, confirmed today. After receiving prior approval from the concerned department, the work has already started. A water treatment plant near Chandili has been made operational for this purpose. Water will be drawn from the Indravati River, treated at Chandili, and then supplied to all villages through pipelines.
Engineer Mr. Raut, along with RWSS (Rural Water Supply & Sanitation) Superintendent Engineer Kshiradhar Kandhapan, visited the site today as part of a joint committee inspection. A plan has been made to lay pipelines to several remote villages including Badabarli, which is located 12 km from the main road of Maidalpur. The Roads & Buildings Department has also granted permission to open roadways for the rural water supply pipelines. The pipeline-laying work is expected to be completed by the end of June.
Impact of the Initiative:
Once completed, purified drinking water will be provided to 40 panchayats in Nabarangpur, Papadahandi, and Kosagumuda blocks through the mega drinking water project, Mr. Raut informed.
It is important to note that the residents of Badabarli village in Papadahandi block have long been deprived of access to drinking water. They are currently forced to fetch water from a waterfall located 1 km away. Of the three tube wells in the village, none are functional. Ponds in the area are also dry. Over 218 families, with a population in the thousands, live in the village. Although the village has access to electricity, roads, and mobile networks, villagers still struggle to access clean water.
Due to this ongoing hardship, many youths in the village have remained unmarried, with more than 40 young men still single—believed to be due to the water crisis. After the issue was reported in the newspaper Prameya, the department has shown increased urgency and is working toward resolving the situation.