Provide medical treatment to people with kidney diseases: NHRC to Odisha Govt

Adjudicating a petition filed by Human Rights Activist Radhakanta Tripathy, the NHRC closed the case as the State Authorities informed that as many 265 villages have been freed from the problem of contaminated water.

Tripathy in his petition had alleged that NHRC several blocks in Cuttack district are forced to drink contaminated water having traces of heavy metal, which resulted in kidney disease on a large scale. The Cuttack Collector in response to a notice issued by NHRC said out of 1631 hand-pumps / tube-wells in block 711 are in running condition.

The tube-well having contaminated water source have been marked "X" in Red Colour and villagers have been advised not to extract water from there. Rural Piped Water Supply Scheme is functional in two blocks and providing safe drinking water, a Mega Piped Water Supply Project covering the entire 205 villages of Narasinghpur Block has been approved to provide drinking water, work of which has been awarded to L&T limited and is likely to be commissioned during May, next.

Detailed project report for Mega Piped Water Supply Scheme to cover all villages of Digitaria and Athagarh Blocks has been prepared and under approval stage, in which it is proposed to extract potable drinking water sourced from river Mahanadi.

Meanwhile, a new rural piped water supply scheme has been completed for certain villages in Tagadiya Block.

The NHRC considered the report as satisfactory for the sensitivity and concern showed by the state government to provide safe and drinking water. In the meanwhile, the state government is also expected to provide proper medical treatment to the villagers suffering from the dreaded kidney disease, the NHRC observed.