Assam: PHED sets up two deep tube wells in crisis-hit areas in Kokrajhar

KOKRAJHAR: The series of exposition of severe drinking water crisis in the northern part of Kokrajhar, especially Kausi areas under Serfanguri police station in The Sentinel and an Assamese vernacular daily, has prompted the Executive Member (EM) of Public Health Engineering (PHE) department of BTC Dr. Nilut Swargiary to go to the water scarcity areas with rig machines on May 22 and set up two deep tube-wells in the crisis hit villages as part of immediate measures. The local people who have been facing shortage of drinking water are likely to get relief. The series of stories over the drinking water crisis drew the attention of the CEM of BTC Pramod Boro who took urgent steps asking his concerned EM to take immediate measures.

The scanty rainfall and late arrival of monsoon has not only caused scorching heat but also created water scarcity in different parts of the district especially in the northern part of Kokrajhar. The villagers of as many as 11 villages under Serfanguri police station have been facing shortage of water from the past two months as the ground water level is going down deeper causing all the ring wells and tube wells of the locality to dry up prompting the district administration and a philanthropist Monoranjan Brahma to distribute drinking water pressing water tanks few days back.

The Sentinel correspondent recently visited the villages which are facing shortage of water in Kausi- Aozarguri, Bwigriguri, Akhiguri and Dwimuguri etc. and interacted with the local people over the water crisis issue. As there has been a lack of rainfall, the river Swrmanga, Hell, Sapkata rivulet and other streams have gone totally dry while the ring wells and tube wells are also becoming useless. There are three PHE projects under Jal Jeevan Mission (JJM) at Akhiguri, Dwimuguri and Aozarguri but all are non functional. The completion of projects under JJM is reportedly delayed and pipe fitting works are yet to be completed. The domestic animals and other wild animals of Raimana National Parks in that part are also facing hard times of water scarcity.

The villages being hit by the crisis of drinking water includes- Shantipur, Akhiguri, Anthaibari, Daimuguri, Premnagar, Dharampur, Bwigriguri, Aozarguri, Gwjwnpuri, Nijwmpuri and Dawangbutua. These villages were recognized forest villages under Kachugaon Forest Division and they got the land title (Patta) only a couple of months back. Local people demanded that the government take immediate steps to solve the crisis and speed up the water supply projects under JJM on priority basis for the solution of the water crisis. The villagers told The Sentinel that the distribution of drinking water by district administration was not at all sufficient for vast areas and at that moment of crisis a philanthropist and a well-known entrepreneur of Kokrajhar Monoranjan Brahma extended helping hands and put a water tank truck into service for distribution of drinking water to villagers in the area from his own expenses on humanitarian ground and brought relief to some villagers.

Talking to media persons, the EM of PHE department of BTC Dr. Nilut Swargiary said to overcome the drinking water crisis in Kausi areas, two deep tube wells had been set up at Gwjwnpuri and Dhwrwmpur villages and works has also been started with rig machines on Wednesday as immediate measure to provide drinking water to villagers being hit by water crisis. He said the two new deep tube wells would be between 150 to 160 feet in depth and will cover 11 villages in the locality. He also said new water supply projects under JJM would be set up within a month in the locality. He, however, admitted that the ongoing water supply projects in the region were being delayed due to some technical reasons. He also hoped that the local people would get relief very soon after setting up two deep tube wells which are likely to be completed within 2-3 days.

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