Bhubaneswar, July 10: The Public Health Engineering Organisation (Pheo) has started preparing a blueprint to ensure universal water supply in the city.

The administration hopes to cover all wards, streets, slums with piped water connections by 2018.

The move comes after the housing and urban development department issued a direction, asking three administrative divisions of Pheo and the Bhubaneswar Municipal Corporation to collaborate on the task.

Accordingly, Pheo will prepare the detailed action plan to ensure pipe water supply to all habitations, including all categories of slums, streets and wards. The plan will be presented during the civic body's monthly council meeting for approval this month.

"We have already taken up different drinking water projects to ensure that each individual is covered under our water supply network. We have been constructing overhead and underground reservoirs at different places. In the next phase, we will lay the pipes according to the plans we have prepared," said Pheo's superintending engineer C.R. Jena.

Bhubaneswar's water requirements are 120.62 million litres daily (MLD) whereas Pheo supplies 295.30MLD, almost double the requirement. Despite this, about 33 of the 67 wards are only partially covered in the supply chain due to loss of water during supply and theft.

"We have enough water to cover all wards. But we are making provisions to increase it considering the future demand of the population. Our action plan will also look after lessening the loss of water during supply. Laying pipes to uncovered areas will remain the major focus of the plan," Jena said, adding that his officials would prepare the plan.

The housing and urban development department, in its direction, has also made it clear that Pheo will execute the pipe-laying task. It has also directed the civic body to take care in case of damage to roads and other properties during the pipe-laying process. Pheo will not have to pay the civic body for the repair job.

"We have received the direction from the government and will abide by it. We will collaborate with officials from Pheo and undertake the pipe-laying work with them under expert supervision. We will depute our officials during the work and take up immediate repair if the roads get damaged during the work," said mayor Ananta Narayan Jena.

GGP Colony resident Himansu Meher said it was a good step to come up with a plan for universal water supply. However, he also said they should ensure uninterrupted water supply to households. "I have five members in my family. Pheo supplies water for only four hours a day, which is not enough to store water for the use of my family," he said.