The Ayodhya Sarovar in Sambalpur. Telegraph picture

Sambalpur, Nov. 28: The water level has gone down considerably at Ayodhya Sarovar here because of a breakage in the wooden plank installed at the gate of the anicut on the Mahanadi river.

Water is flowing out of the lake because of leakage, decreasing the water level, which has become so low that the public health department, which supplies water to the city from this lake at Balibandha, cannot pump water. Thousands of residents of the city depend on this lake for their daily ablution. Now, they are facing severe inconvenience because of the decrease water level in the lake.

The irrigation department had constructed the anicut on the Mahanadi.

Sub-divisional officer of the public health engineering department A.K. Satpathy said: “The turbine pump cannot function in this low level of water. We are facing severe problems in supplying water to several areas, especially Modipara, because of the low water level of the lake.”

He also said they had apprised the irrigation department of the problem.

On the other hand, executive engineer of the department Prabhas Pattnaik said: “We have decided to place a steel gate in place of wooden plank there. We have already sent the requisition for the steel gate. It will take four to five days to repair the gate there.”

There are six sluice gates in the 1.7-km long anicut. There are two sluice gates near Hatpada, three in the middle of the anicut and two more gates on the Chounrpur-side.

“The wooden plank broke because of lack of maintenance. The anicut has been lying in neglect for long. The department concerned should take immediate step to repair it,” said local resident Balgopal Panigrahi.