An acute shortage of safe drinking water has compounded the suffering of thousands affected by floods in Ganjam, Gajapati, and Kandhamal districts of southern Odisha. Inundation caused by cyclone Arnab has left families struggling to access clean water.
With hand pumps submerged, residents report that the few functioning tube wells are supplying potentially contaminated water. Authorities have deployed teams to oversee drinking-water supplies and sanitation. All water sources, including community facilities, are to be cleaned and disinfected. Post-flood sanitation is also being prioritized.
Health teams are distributing drinking water and medicines, and the Rural Water Supply and Sanitation Department has been instructed to increase the supply of potable water through tankers.
Source: Down To Earth