SAMBALPUR: The COVID-19 crisis has cast a cloud of uncertainty over completion of the water treatment plant project that would resolve the drinking water crisis of Burla. The Public Health Engineering Organisation (PHEO), the executing agency, had set a target to compete the six MLD plant by June this year.
Assistant Engineer of PHEO Sukhamaya Sarkar said mechanical work on the treatment plant had to be stopped midway due to the coronavirus lockdown. While restrictions have been eased, work is yet to resume as skilled labourers from Kolkata left the project site due to pandemic. The work will resume only after they return.
The laying of pipelines for household connection in some localities has resumed recently with the help of local labourers. It would take around four months to complete the project from the date of resumption of mechanical work. Work on the treatment plant began in April, 2018.
The water treatment plant is being set up over an area of 7.62 acre near Sambalpur University. The estimated cost of the project is Rs 8.62 crore and Mahanadi Coalfields Limited (MCL) has provided funds for the plant.
Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik had laid the foundation stone for the project on January 29, 2014. The firm, which received the work order, abandoned the project after constructing the boundary wall on the identified land. The PHEO authorities later floated a fresh tender and subsequently, a new firm was entrusted with the execution of the work.
Burla, considered the education hub of Western Odisha, houses VIMSAR, VSSUT and Sambalpur University. VIMSAR and Sambalpur University each have a water treatment plant with a capacity 2.25 MLD for their needs.
Water to other parts of Burla is supplied from a filtration plant located near the VSSUT. However, it fails to meet the water demand of Burla which has a population of around 52,000. And as a result, many localities face water scarcity during summer.