Bhubaneswar: As if the hot summer days weren't inconvenient enough, the residents of Vivekanada Marg and Samantarapur here are also experiencing a break in drinking water supply.

"It is not at all a smart move of the smart city. We are living in the middle of the city and such situation is not at all tolerable," said Anita Panigrahy, a resident of the affected area.

Another resident complained that the Public Health Engineering Organisation (Pheo) had stopped water supply to their locality for the past one month and people are forced to walk miles to get water. At times, they are forced to buy it.

The affected people have reached out to the housing and urban development department minister Niranjan Pujari with a two-page memorandum seeking his immediate intervention in the matter. Residents of Vivekananda Marg, Maharana Sahi and Barika Sahi are the worst affected.

"Our lives are at risk since the supply of pipe water has been stopped for no fault of ours. Regular supply of water maybe restored. In event of any dislocation, an overhead tank may be installed in the nearby location of Vivekananda Marg to cater the need," reads the memorandum.

Rama Chandra Mohapatra, who stays in the affected area, said they had constructed their houses in the 1980s when they got 24x7 water supply. That had been reduced to four hours a day lately.

"We are fine with the four-hour supply but right now we are getting no water at all," said Mohapatra.

Pheo superintending engineer Chitta Ranjan Jena said the supply of water to the locality was on hold because of some maintenance work. He said: "The water supply will be restored shortly. We have got the grievance of the citizens and will provide alternate options to them."