Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik today directed the housing and urban development department to ensure supply of pipe water to each family in all towns and cities of the state by March 2019, officials said.
The chief minister also directed the department to ensure increase per capita usage of drinking water to 70 litres in urban areas by March 2019.
Patnaik, who gave the direction while presiding over a high level review meeting on status of urban pipe water supply programme, said the housing and urban development department would conduct house-to-house survey in all urban localities in the state and identify the families that have no pipe water facilities.
Official sources said a total of 760 projects are being implemented in the state at a cost of Rs 3,596 crore to supply drinking water in urban local bodies of Odisha.
The housing and urban development department has identified 422 areas in 24 urban localities in the state where there is water scarcity and as many as 1,869 PVC tanks have been put up to store and supply drinking water. Besides 219 water tankers have also been engaged in these areas, an official said.
The department has also formed ward-level committees for proper management of drinking water supply.
A 24-hour control room has been set up to monitor water supply and swiftly address any complaints regarding delay and non-supply of water, he added.