The state drinking water and sanitation department is all set to launch a new project to quench the thirst of people living in around 40 villages of Baliapur block, around 15km from Dhanbad town.

The department has already prepared a detailed project report (DPR) for supplying piped water from the Damodar river to these villages, where underground water contains high level of fluoride that poses serious threat to life.

Sources said the urban development department had given the technical approval for the Rs 71.96 crore project that would benefit around 50,000 villagers. Work will start as soon as the central design organisation of the state government gives the administrative approval.

"The technical sanction was granted on December 24 last year. But the work could not be started in want of the administrative approval," said executive engineer of the department Sushil Kumar.

Elaborating on the project, Kumar said water would be drawn from the Damodar river near Chaudharidih village and would be sent to a treatment plant, having a capacity of 11.2 million litre, which would come up at Shitalpur village.

Moreover, the entire catchment area of the 40 villages will be divided into five zones - Shitalpur, Amjhar, Bramhandiha, Baghmara and Dudhia. A water tank will be constructed in each of these five zones for supplying piped water to every household.

Apart from this scheme, the executive engineer said, the department was also working on an old project in Baghmara area to supply pure fluoride-free groundwater. "The scheme was launched back in 2001 by the village water sanitation committee. It became non-operational around three years ago due to poor maintenance and a defunct transformer. We have repaired the transformer and the scheme will be re-launched in a day or two," Kumar added.

Currently, majority of the people in these villages depend on underground water sources like hand pumps, wells etc. However, the department recently detected traces of fluoride in the water of at least 19 hand pumps spread across Baliapur block.

"We collected samples of around 27 hand pumps in Bramhandiha and Bishanpur last month. Laboratory tests have indicated high concentration of fluoride - more than 1.5 ppm - in the underground water of at least 19 hand pumps," Kumar said.

"We have painted these 19 hand pumps red and pasted a notice, warning people against drinking the water. The water from these red hand pumps can be used for only washing clothes and dishes," he added.