Cuttack, Jul 3: More than 800 residents of two villages in Odisha's Cuttack district have been grappling with a severe drinking water crisis for nearly two months after a major drinking water pipeline was damaged during road construction work.

The crisis has affected Jilinda Jaymangalpur and Jagannathpur villages under Basantpur Panchayat in Narsinghpur block. Women are being forced to walk nearly half a kilometre every day to fetch drinking water from distant sources, while many families are relying on open wells to meet their daily water needs.

According to local residents, the contractor engaged in the construction of the Kamaladihi main road allegedly damaged the Mega Drinking Water Supply pipeline during the project. The damaged pipeline has reportedly remained unrepaired for almost two months, disrupting water supply across several areas of five panchayats.

The prolonged disruption has hit Basantpur Panchayat particularly hard, with Jilinda Jaymangalpur and Jagannathpur facing the worst of the crisis. Villagers say they have repeatedly raised the issue, but the water supply has not yet been restored.

Jilinda Jaymangalpur has around 120 families, while Jagannathpur is home to more than 80 families. Together, the two villages have over 200 households and a population exceeding 800 people.

Although the villages have access to a rural piped water supply system, six tube wells and two open wells, these sources have failed to meet the growing demand. The rural water supply is reportedly inadequate, and water from several tube wells is considered unfit for drinking. As a result, many residents are left with no choice but to consume unsafe water, raising concerns about potential health risks.

With the Mega Drinking Water Supply scheme remaining defunct due to the damaged pipeline, villagers have urged the authorities to repair the pipeline immediately and restore regular drinking water supply to the affected areas.