Bhubaneswar, March 22: With summer threatening to set the capital on the boil, the Bhubaneswar Municipal Corporation (BMC) has set up water kiosks (jala chhatra) at various places across the city to slake the thirst of passers-by.

Sources said that 20 kiosks were already functioning in the city while another 80 would be installed soon. The corporation is also taking steps to ward off drinking water crisis in any part of the capital.

“We had called upon voluntary organisations to set up water kiosks to help people. We provided them space and drinking water,” said Ashok Mohanty, deputy secretary of the corporation.

While 10 kiosks were set up on March 16, another 10 came up today.

The kiosks are presently functioning in Dumuduma, Damana, Jayadev Vihar, Rajmahal Square and Rupali Square. These have been set up with the efforts of organisations such as Bhubaneswar Autorickshaw Mahasangha and Nikhil Utkal Kkhyudra Byabasai Mahasangha.

“We had set up nearly 35 water kiosks at various places in the city last year. We have taken up the initiative again this time. The BMC provides us with space and water and we bear the rest of the expenses. We have spent more than Rs 10,000 on these kiosks in three months. We do it as a part of our social responsibility,” said Padman Samal, general secretary of the Bhubaneswar Autorickshaw Mahasangha.

Apart from cold water, the kiosks are serving yoghurt and lemon water, all free of cost. The corporation has kept 12 water tankers ready for supplying water to the areas that might experience scarcity. Earlier, the corporation had only six of these tankers. Besides one medical unit is also on the standby to provide assistance to people hit by sunstroke.

Vishal Dev, the BMC commissioner, said the corporation also had plans to dig tube-wells and hand pumps in residential areas to meet possible water scarcity.

“Every ward has been provided with Rs 1.5 lakh to dig new tube-wells and hand pumps and repair the defunct ones. We intend to spend Rs 90 lakh on tube wells and hand pumps. We have already allocated Rs 72 lakh to the public health engineering organisation to initiate the tube-well repair work,” said Dev.

The commissioner also said the corporation is conducting a survey for setting up roadside rest sheds during summer. “We hope that some of these would be ready in the next few days,” added Dev.