Known for his successful experiment with seed balls to boost the survivability of plants, Bhanupratappur Forest Division Divisional Forest Officer (DFO) has now aimed at resolving the issue of drinking water at Durgukondul, Antagarh and Amabeda under his Division by providing filter-equipped water buckets and installation of water tanks with filters in areas affected by excessive iron in underground water.
Since the region is known for its large iron repositories, the underground water gets contaminated by excessive iron particles. As underground aquifers are the main source of drinking water in these areas, it became a serious health issue for locals. In a short duration, excessive iron can result in gastroenteritis, dental ailments, and in long term use, it can also inflict serious damage to critical organs like Kidney and Liver.
Considering the grim situation, DFO Manish Kashyap came up with the project to distribute buckets fitted with filters. So far the distribution of buckets is carried out at Khadagaon, Tarwakatta, Kadikhodra, Himoda, Kumari, Tumpal, Talabeda, Salebhat, Varche, Atulbeda, Bhaisgaon and Pandri and around 5000 buckets have been handed over to the villagers. Durgukondul and Amabeda are next in line to receive the special buckets.
After receiving and using the buckets for a few days, villagers Valsu, Chainsingh, Mehattar, Jaipal, Rajau, Manglu, Mohan, Surendra and Somnath seemed very satisfied with the bucket.
DFO Manish Kashyap said he noticed the sufferings of people due to excessive iron content in the water. So he came up with the idea of the bucket with filter and so started the project. They want to distribute as much bucket as possible so that every villager can have access to clean drinking water. The bucket is quite easy to use. You just need to fill the water in the bucket and it filters out of the bucket while excessive iron particles settle down on the surface. Two water tanks have been installed at Salebhat and Bhaisgaon for both these places have a larger population. In a survey conducted by the Forest Department, close to 3000 homes were found consuming drinking water which was extremely high on iron.
A Medical Officer at Government Hospital of Bhanupratappur, Dr Akhilesh Dhruv admired the initiative of forest department. Dr Dhruv said intake of excessive iron-rich water can cause gastroenteritis, damage the teeth/gums and damage critical organs.
