Chatra: The district administration on Wednesday rolled out a drive to address the drinking water crisis across the district during summer months. Deputy commissioner (DC) Ravi Anand kicked off the drive in which block-level task force, control rooms and public helpline numbers were rolled for prompt grievance redressal.The programme, officials said, will run from April 24 to May 11 across all 154 panchayats in 12 blocks. “The campaign will focus on field-level surveys, immediate repairs and strict monitoring,” Anand said.Block development officers (BDOs) have been made nodal heads of joint task forces comprising senior officials, circle officers and technical staff. These teams will visit panchayats, meet local representatives and residents, verify water-stressed areas and resolve problems on the spot.Anand said defunct hand pumps will be repaired within 48 hours while major works such as deep boring, will have to be taken up within 24 hours of approval. The executive engineer of the drinking water and sanitation division has been appointed technical nodal officer and will lead urgent interventions in sensitive areas.Officials have been asked to prepare ward-wise lists of non-functional hand pumps, dried wells and defunct water towers before inspections. For monitoring, the district has created a WhatsApp group, “Chatra Water Task Force”, where teams will upload geotagged photos and daily reports by 5 pm.A district control room under the additional collector has been made operational. Residents can report drinking water problems on mobile number 9117619352 and landline 06541-253219, after which complaints will be sent to the concerned BDOs. Camps will be set up in various panchayats on April 24 to address the grievances of locals.
