A Stitch In Time Saves Nine: Villagers Build Bund To Overcome Water Crisis
On a hot March afternoon, Pandigaon village in Kalampur block of Kalahandi district wore a deserted look. The hills surrounding this remote village of numerous families, were bare with patches of dry grass. All water bodies have started going dry with only few sources having enough water to last this summer.
In such heat and desperate situation, residents of Pandigaon joined hand to construct a sand sack embankment through voluntary labor. The bund, they claimed, was the gateway to water-sufficiency. The villagers are blocking the village’s Liti tributary canal water by positioning sand bags.
Wildlife, including cows, goats and sheep, have seriously been affected by the drying up of wells, including natural water sources, such as rivers and streams, during the summer heat wave. Drinking water is not readily available to the public, when everyone is desperate for the elixir of life.
After a period of more than 2 decades, the Indrabati Irrigation Department has checked the water disbursement for the much delayed repair and modernisation of Indrabati South Canal this year. Keeping an eye upon the worsening heat wave conditions the villagers of Pandigaon took such a step to rescue self and also their domestic animals.
Despite the availibility of water from natural sources like Liti tributary, Kuleilor, Gharla tributary, Bankapala canal, Bodeibandha canal, Churagaon tribuatary, villagers are facing severe water crisis in the summer both for drinking, cooking and household chores.
Hence expressing their grief, the villagers mentioned that the if block administration tries to address the national catastrophe on an emergency basis, the problem will be solved leading to easy access of water in such remote areas.
