Odisha villagers walk for water despite adequate supply claims
Development is still a far cry for villagers in Mayurbhanj district of Odisha. Amid claims of adequate water supply in Baripada, locals of a village in Kaptipada block of the region still walk 8-10 kilometres every day to fetch clean drinking water. Baripada division’s Executive Engineer of RWSS (Rural Drinking Water Supply & Sanitation), Jay Narayan Gandhi, claimed that 18,275 tube wells and 334 pipeline connections are in running condition. He further said that department is providing 20 water tankers to 14 blocks where the population is very high. The village, surrounded by hill and forest, is home to at least 70 families.