Sambalpur, April 22: An angry mob in Dhankauda village blocked NH-6 for nearly two hours today to protest against water shortage that has been plaguing the village for a long time.

The village, located on the outskirts of Sambalpur, does not have domestic water supply. Angry women in the village led the protest and blocked the highway in the morning.

“We informed the administration last Friday that we would resort to a road blockade if our demands were not met within a week,” Sumitra Seth, one of the protesters, said. “The tube wells are the only source of water in our village. But out of the two, one is not functioning,” said Sumitra.

Another woman Basanti Majhi said: “After we had gheraoed the block office last week, the executive engineer of rural water supply and sanitation department as well as the block development officer assured us that we would be supplied water in tankers. However, they went back on their promise.”

The villagers, who depend on the Ghudghudi pond for bathing, alleged that they were going through a harrowing time since the waterbody has almost dried up in the blazing heat of summer.

“Water scarcity is a serious issue, more so during the summer. Moreover, our village has several other problems. Twenty-nine out of a total 30 light posts here are out of order,” said Mahendra Mishra, a local resident and former sarpanch of Dhankauda village. He said the rural water supply and sanitation department had already connected the pipes to the village but was yet to build a tank to store water.

Akshaya Sahu, another resident of the village, said: “Isn’t it ironical that the Hirakud dam is just 12km away from our village? Yet we are deprived of water supply. Every time we raise the issue, it falls on deaf ears.”

Block development officer Jayaram Panda, who reached the spot, said the problem would be resolved by the end of June.

“I have informed the sub-collector. We will supply water in tankers to the village until we reach a feasible and permanent solution,” said Panda.