Glitches at treatment plant spark drinking water crisis in Sambalpur

Collector visits Bareipali plant, instructs officials to work out a solution to restore water supply

- EXPRESS NEWS SERVICE @ Sambalpur

SAMBALPUR city is grappling with a severe drinking water crisis due to frequent technical glitches at Bareipali water treatment plant, leaving thousands of residents across several areas frustrated. The disruption, which is continuing for the past around five days, has caused major inconvenience to people amidst the monsoon rains.

The crisis unfolded when a high-capacity transformer at the Bareipali plant caught fire last week, halting water supply to several key areas including Ainthapali, Budharaja, VSS Marg and Dhanupali. A new transformer was brought in from Bhubaneswar on July 4 and made operational. However, the situation worsened when lightning struck another transformer, leading to fresh disruptions. As a result, WATCO officials announced that water supply may remain affected for an indefinite period.