Water Crisis in Nabarangpur: How a Village's Drought is Delaying Marriages

Nabarangpur's Water Shortage Creates Marital Challenges

Nabarangpur: A prolonged drinking water crisis has led to a troubling social issue in Badabarli village, located in the Sanabarli panchayat of Papadahandi block. Over 80 young men remain single as families hesitate to marry their daughters into a village lacking reliable drinking water access.

Despite the initiation of a significant drinking water project nearly two years ago, which included the installation of a water tank and pipelines, the village's population of over 1,000 is still without piped water. Villagers are compelled to walk more than 1.5 kilometers daily to collect water.

Badabarli, encircled by hills, possesses basic infrastructure such as roads and electricity, yet it continues to grapple with a critical shortage of drinkable water. Of the three tube wells previously established by the authorities, only one is partially operational, providing insufficient water to meet the community's needs, while the others have fallen into disrepair.

Women frequently make late-night treks to a natural spring located over a kilometer away to gather water. A decade ago, in response to similar complaints, local officials constructed a water collection tank and laid pipes from the spring, which is situated about 30 feet underground. They also built 35 steps and added two pipes at the rock outlet to facilitate water access, but these efforts have not sufficed to satisfy the village's increasing demands.

For bathing, sanitation, and even funeral rites, residents must travel nearly 2 kilometers to reach nearby ponds in Sanabarli or Nuaguda. Villagers report that repeated requests to local and district administrations have gone largely unanswered.

"The situation is so dire that many women who married into the village eventually returned to their parental homes," stated Paramananda Nag, a local resident. "They simply couldn't endure the hardships."

Raesingh Nayak shared that his wife left him and their eight-month-old son due to the harsh living conditions. He had married a woman from a nearby village, but she departed after struggling to adapt to life in Badabarli.

Sameer Harijan and other villagers have now threatened to initiate protests if the situation does not improve soon.

Prateek Kumar Rout, the executive engineer at the district's Rural Water Supply and Sanitation (RWSS) department, confirmed that Badabarli is classified as a red zone for water scarcity. He explained that the delay in water supply is attributed to pending approvals from the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) for pipeline installation, which has hindered the mega water project.

"We are addressing the issue and anticipate that the water crisis will be resolved by June," Rout stated, adding that water tankers will be deployed during the dry season as a temporary relief measure.

However, for the 218 households in Badabarli, each day without water exacerbates not only their survival crisis but also the loss of hopes, marriages, and futures tied to a tap that remains dry.