Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi on Sunday laid the foundation stone for a major water supply project in Sambalpur, aimed at providing residents with continuous access to safe drinking water. Once completed, the initiative will ensure a 24×7 supply of purified water to nearly five lakh people across 41 wards of the city.
The ambitious project, estimated at ₹451.24 crore, involves laying nearly 340 kilometres of water pipelines to strengthen the city’s distribution network and ensure uniform supply. Upon completion, the infrastructure is expected to deliver around 100 million litres of purified water per day, addressing long-standing water scarcity issues in Sambalpur.
Speaking at the event, CM Majhi highlighted that the project would significantly improve the quality of life in the region and enhance overall living standards. Officials noted that the initiative represents a major step towards sustainable urban development and upgraded public health infrastructure.
The project is part of the Central government’s AMRUT 2.0 scheme under the ‘Drink-From-Tap’ initiative, enabling residents to safely consume water directly from taps without additional filtration. As part of the plan, an intake well and two modern water treatment plants will be constructed—one in Sambalpur with a capacity of 65 MLD and another in Burla with a capacity of 35 MLD.
The foundation ceremony was attended by Revenue and Disaster Management Minister Suresh Pujari, Panchayati Raj, Drinking Water and Rural Development Minister Rabi Narayan Naik, Sambalpur MLA Jayanarayan Mishra, former MLA Nauri Naik, and Sambalpur district Collector Siddheshwar Baliram Bondar, among others.
