Puri became the first city in India to avail pure clean drinking water directly from taps on a 24 hours’ basis. It means people can now consume water directly from Taps without need to use water filters or to store water. Mr Naveen Patnaik, Chief Minister of Odisha, announced this news under the Drink from Tap Project. He named this movement “SUJAL”. (clean water)
He also said that various fountains will be constructed all over the city so that tourists and individuals will not face drinking water trouble. This Drink from Tap movement has also addressed a big issue of the city, which is plastic usage. With this move, the city will see a reduction in the number of packaged water consumed by tourists and locals. The city currently has 400 tons of plastic usage, and mission Sujal will give relief of 400 tons of plastic to the city by reducing the usage of packaged bottles in the city.
Odisha is one of the major tourist spots in India, with Lord Jagannath temple and Konark Sun temple state attracts more than 20 million tourists. Being a top tourist spot contributes to the use of plastic bottles. The construction of drinking water fountains will help in the reduction of the usage of plastic bottles. Puri has now been named alongside cities like London, New York and Singapore. These places have been providing facilities for drinking clean water from tap for many years. Now Puri has joined them in providing clean drinking water and a good standard of living.
“Today, a new chapter has been added in the development history of not only Puri but the whole of Odisha. From today, all families in the Jagannath Dham Puri have got access to quality drinking water through taps,” Patnaik said during the inauguration of Drink from Tap – SUJAL via Video conferencing mode.
The Chief Minister also requested to not waste or pollute water sources as pure drinking water contributes to the good health of citizens. And a healthy city contributes to the good economic stability of the state. The mission also has 24/7 helpline centres for grievances resolution, mobile water testing labs, etc. Citizens facing any issues with water quality can connect with the team.
However, the BJP who is in opposition in the state has called this move an election gimmick. It also stated the fact that more than 50% of individuals in the state have no proper water connection under the Biju Janata Dal government, which is now over two decades old. Even if the opposition are not delighted with this, people in Odisha now can enjoy clean tap drinking water, and people who don’t have shelters now can at least have clean water improving situations in the city. This big move in Odisha has taken the country’s name to a greater extent.
