An underground reservoir at Kapilaprasad. Picture by Ashwinee Pati

Bhubaneswar, Aug. 23: The pipeline for supplying drinking water to Pokhariput, Kapilaprasad, Sundarpada and adjoining areas is likely to be delayed further with problems in acquisition of land for the construction of an underground reservoir at Sundarpada.

People in Pokhariput and surrounding areas are eagerly awaiting the pipeline, which starts from Ghatikia and reaches Khandagiri after passing under NH-5.

Although the general administration department demarcated land on February 8 for the construction of the underground reservoir at Sunderpada, work could not begin because of protests by a section of the local populace.

The underground reservoir is crucial to people who will use the pipeline, as water would be stored there for distribution. “With all provisions made for the underground reservoir and the engineering plans approved, there cannot be any modification. The Public Health Engineering Organisation (PHEO) will build it as per schedule. The underground reservoir at Sundarpada will solve the long-standing water woes in the area,’’ said Ashok Panda, MLA, Ekamra.

Councillor of ward No. 57 Krushna Chandra Sethi said: “The people of Sundarpada cannot suffer because of the protest of one or two individuals and especially when a large portion of the government land earmarked for the work was encroached upon. Everything is on schedule and work will start shortly.’’

Nrupa Kishor Patnaik, a local resident of Pokhariput, said: “The area can only become more populated. Two more schools are going to come up here soon. One DAV Public School is already there. With the population increasing every year, it is important that the authorities bring us pipe water supply as soon as possible.’’

PHEO assistant engineer B.B. Panigrahy said that they had faced several hurdles while laying the pipeline along the Khandagiri-Pokhariout stretch. Underground cables laid in a haphazard manner, lack of a utility corridor to take the pipeline along the PWD road and unplanned planting of trees for avenue plantation blocked the path of the pipeline, delaying the entire process. “But we hope the work will be over within five to six months,’’ he said.

“If we supply water from the main pipeline now, there will be a fall in the water pressure. We are going to end the water problems of all other places along the Khandagiri-Pokhariput Road — i.e., parts of Dharma Vihar, Jagamara, Badabari, Krishna Garden, Bhaktamadhunagar, Pokhariput, Kapilaprasad and Sundarpada — by building three underground reservoirs,’’ said a PHEO engineer.

“When the project was commissioned two years ago, there was no plantation along the road. But now the trees have grown and the forest department is not granting permission to fell them. So, the pipeline has to pass under the trees. It is really a difficult task to execute,’’ he added.

The Dumuduma Housing Board underground reservoirs had been lying defunct for more than a decade. With the completion of the Khandagiri-Pokhariput-Kapilaprasad pipeline, the underground reservoirs in Dharma Vihar will be filled with water.