The drinking water scarcity faced by Sundargarh town and parts of Rourkela is likely to end in a year with completion of three ongoing in-stream storage structure (ISS) projects on Ib and Koel rivers. The ISSs have been designed to ensure adequate availability of drinking water in the two urban areas and cater to the water and irrigation needs of nearby rural pockets besides setting up communication links.
Former MLA of Sundargarh and district coordinator of Nabin Odisha Jogesh Singh said the two ongoing ISS projects on Ib river at Kudabaga and Kopsingha in Sadar block are expected to be ready by March 2025. The barrages in the upstream of Ib in Chhattisgarh stop releasing water in summer due to which the river becomes completely dry leading to severe water crisis in Sundargarh town and nearby areas of Sadar block. However, the water crisis would be solved after completion of the two projects.
Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik had virtually laid foundation stones for the Kudabaga and Kopsingha projects in January 2022. The government had stated that the projects would benefit 47,000 people in Sundargarh municipality and villages of Sadar and nearby blocks. The two barrages envisage irrigation of 488 hectare of land, promotion of fish farming and to enable villagers of Lephripada and Tangarpali blocks easy access to major roads with bridges atop the storage structures. Separately, work is also underway on a similar ISS project on Safei river at Kinjirma in Sadar block. Construction of another ISS project on Ib river at Abankela in Tangarpali block would start shortly, Singh added.
Sources in the Water Resources department said foundations are being laid on both sides of Koel river for another ISS at Hamirpur in Rourkela. Work on the superstructure of the ISS would be taken up after monsoon with a target to complete the project by March 2025. The ISS project at Hamirpur primarily envisages drinking water storage, stabilisation of a mega lift irrigation project and creation of self-command area for irrigation in nearby rural pockets of Kuanrmunda, Bisra and Nuagaon blocks under Birmitrapur Assembly segment.
Incidentally, during the summer of 2016, the Rourkela Industrial Township under RN Pali Assembly constituency had faced unprecedented drinking water crisis after Koel river became completely dry. The ISS at Hamirpur would also end drinking water woes of Koel Nagar, Shakti Nagar and Jagda in Rourkela Assembly segment.