Sambalpur, April 17: Tankers supplying water in the city have been fitted with global positioning system (GPS) devices in a bid to monitor movement of the vehicles.
The public health engineering organisation (PHEO) has installed the devices on all the vehicles.
Sources said that 28 vehicles had been engaged to supply water in the corporation area. While 18 vehicles are supplying water in Sambalpur, five have been engaged in Burla and five in Hirakud. Each vehicle has the capacity to carry 4,000 litres and has been assigned with the responsibility to make at least four trips a day.
"GPS will help us track the movement of the vehicles and verify whether they are following the scheduled routes or not and are supplying water during their trips," said sub-divisional officer of the PHEO, Jadab Chandra Dehury.
A PHEO official said there were complaints from the residents that the tankers were not delivering water. The GPS will bring transparency and improve the service.
Several areas of the city are facing water scarcity. The places, which are very badly hit are Bhatra, Sakhipara, Sunapali, Talbhatapara, Mahavirpara, Kuluthkani, Santi Nagar, Chandan Nagar, Govindtola, Durgapali, Anguliapara.
"The city requires 28million litres per day (MLD). At present, two water treatment plants - at Bareipali and Modipara - supply water across the city. While the Bareipali plant has the capacity to treat 42MLD, the Modipara plant can process 11MLD.
However, as the city has expanded, the distribution of water has become a problem. Several areas, which are located on the outskirts, do not get adequate drinking water due to lack of proper water pressure, said Dehury.
"Several parts of the city experience water scarcity during the summer. They have to depend on water tankers. The PHEO has taken a good decision by installing the GPS on the water tankers," said a resident of the city, Lalit Mishra.
