Odisha BJP Picks Holes In Govt’s Piped Water Claims

Bhubaneswar: BJP on Wednesday accused the Odisha government of failing to supply piped drinking water to majority of people in rural areas.

Till date, the state government has been able to provide piped drinking water to only 3.5 per cent of the people in rural areas, BJP state secretary Lekhasri Samantsinghar told the media here.

Besides, 35 per cent of the people have to walk about one km to fetch drinking water from nearby rivers and nullahs, she added. Also, 80 per cent of the people in the state still depend on groundwater.

The BJP leader alleged that only 14 per cent of the denizens in Bhubaneswar avail piped water.

She cited a Niti Aayog report to claim that Odisha’s performance on drinking water was dismal. Among 18 states, Odisha has slipped to 14^th place from 9^th place, she said.

She further alleged that the state government’s assurance to provide piped drinking water to all households remained on paper.

Notably, the Panchayati Raj and Drinking Water minister Pratap Jena, in a statement in the State Assembly on Tuesday, had announced that the state government will provide piped water supply to all rural households by 2024-25.