Sambalpur, Dec, 12: Now, turning on the tap will bring water into every house. A 24-hour water supply service will be provided. There will be no more water scarcity. No more murky or muddy water. People will receive clean and purified drinking water. The project plan has already been prepared and work has started. WATCO has created a road map extending up to the year 2056. At present, 170 MLD (million litres per day) of water will be supplied. For this, construction of water treatment plants at two locations has already begun.
Currently, there are water treatment plants of 68 MLD capacity within the Sambalpur Municipal Corporation (SMC) area:
40 MLD at Bareipali
4 MLD at Ainthapali
11.25 MLD at Mudipada
9 MLD at Hirakud
2 MLD at Sarkarma (work ongoing)
Two units of 2.25 MLD at Burla
6 MLD at Gandhipada
4.5 MLD at the Section Office
To meet the demand, SMC needs 170 MLD of treated water. Keeping this in mind, a new treatment plant is being constructed. A major water treatment plant is coming up at Jamadarpali, which will make 24-hour water supply possible for the city. This plant at Jamadarpali will have a capacity of 65 MLD. Similarly, Burla University will have a 35 MLD water treatment plant. With these additions, Sambalpur Municipal Corporation is moving toward its goal.
Presently, water is supplied for only about two hours in different parts of the city. However, once this project is completed, citizens will receive water 24 hours a day. That means water will flow as soon as the tap is opened — no need to wait for fixed supply timings.
Old pipelines spanning 55 km will be replaced, and new pipelines will be installed. As many as 50,000 new household connections will be provided.
According to the WATCO General Manager, two major treatment plants at Jamadarpali and Burla are under construction. These will ensure 170 MLD of water for the SMC region. The project aims to supply pure drinking water round-the-clock until 2056. Construction work worth ₹380 crore has already begun. The goal is to complete it within the next two years — that is, by 2028, the city should be receiving 24-hour water supply.
At present, about 70,000 households in the SMC area have drinking water connections. Replacement of old pipelines and installation of new ones is underway.
According to Brahmeswar Das, work is ongoing to ensure how the city will receive 24-hour purified drinking water. Construction at Jamadarpali and Burla has already started and work is being accelerated. Very soon, residents will receive the benefit of uninterrupted water supply.