Reservoir levels alarming on deficient monsoon

The deficient monsoon in the state has taken a toll on the water levels at the reservoirs with the reservoirs hardly 25 per cent full, according to a top official.

"The situation at the reservoirs in the state is extremely precarious and the reservoirs are hardly 25 per cent full due to deficient monsoons. The state grappled with a severe deficit in rainfall in July which has hit the reservoir levels. The reservoir levels have not shown any noticeable improvement in August so far. There is hardly one metre of water at the Rengali reservoir”, said water resources secretary Suresh Mohapatra.

The state receives an average rainfall of 1500 mm every year and 80 per cent of rainfall is received in the July-September period, he pointed out.

Stating that 1200 cusecs of water has already been allocated to the industries, he said, “Water being a precious resource, it should be allocated to those industries which are progressing at a fast pace. Also, the water allocation for those industries that are making negligible progress should be cancelled.”

Mohapatra was speaking at a conference on “Seven Needs of Industries”, organized here by the Orissa chapter of the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII).

Concerned over the increasing use of ground water by the industries, he said, “The increasing use of ground water by the industries is a matter of serious concern as it is leading to the drying up of hand pumps in the villages. The state government is going to come out with a law which would restrict use of ground water by the industries.”

Stating that the Independent Power Producers (IPPs) and the Captive Power Plants are among the major water guzzlers, Mohapatra said that these plants need to put in place a 'Zero Discharge Policy'.

"All industries need to have strong facilities for storage of water within their project site. Moreover, a clause making water conservation measures mandatory by the industries should be introduced at the MoU (Memorandum of Understanding) level”, he added.