Sambalpur, April 5: With the advent of summer, residents of the city are suffering as most of the drinking water kiosks are lying defunct owing to lack of maintenance.

The water kiosks in the city had been installed at strategic places considering the requirement of the residents. However, these kiosks have failed to serve the purpose .

“During summer, the city residents depend on these water kiosks to get cold drinking water. But they are disappointed as the water tanks are not functional,” said Mohammed Taslim, a local resident.

“People who come to the district headquarters town for official work, usually depend on these kiosks to quench their thirst. Even the city residents, who go to the market for shopping, depend on this source of drinking water. But they fail to get drinking water from these sources,” said Taslim.

“Ironically, the water kiosk at Peer Baba Chhak , which is just 200 metres from the Sambalpur municipality office, is also lying defunct,” said Ranjit Barik, a local resident.

“The municipality should take steps to repair these facilities at least before the peak summer,” he said.

There are around 16 water kiosks in the city. Some of them have been built by the Public Health Engineering Organisation.

“We had built some of the water kiosks in the city but we handed over kiosks to the municipality after construction. Now it is their responsibility to repair and maintain these kiosks,” said sub-divisional officer of Public Health Engineering Organisation.

Chairperson of Sambalpur Municipality Reena Trivedi said: “We have already initiated necessary repair works. All defunct water tanks will be made operational as soon as possible. We have also started catering water through the temporary water sheds in the city.”