Bhubaneswar: The summer heat has intensified the drinking water woes in Bhubaneswar, with shrinking river water levels and falling groundwater reserves severely affecting supply across several parts of the city.

The situation has worsened this summer as borewells are no longer yielding sufficient water. With rivers and canals drying up, the city is now staring at a deeper crisis in the coming weeks.

The condition at Mundali, one of the major water sources for the capital, remains relatively stable. However, water levels in the Kuakhai and Daya rivers have dropped drastically, affecting pumping operations. As a result, several areas are no longer receiving an uninterrupted 24-hour water supply. Even in localities where supply continues, residents complain of low water pressure.

People living in multi-storey houses are among the worst affected, as water is barely reaching upper floors. While some supply is available on the ground floor, residents are struggling to pump water to the first floor and above.

According to officials of WATCO, Bhubaneswar currently requires around 304 MLD (million litres per day) of drinking water. At present, only 238.50 MLD can be supplied from the Mahanadi river and its distributaries, Kuakhai and Daya. The remaining deficit of 65.50 MLD is being met through groundwater extraction.

The city receives treated drinking water from six water treatment plants located at Mundali, Palasuni, Chandrasekharpur, Naharkanta, Bhuasuni and Na'tala. Water from the Mahanadi at Mundali, Kuakhai at Palasuni and Daya at Bhuasuni is directly supplied to these treatment facilities.

On the other hand, groundwater tables have fallen sharply, reducing output from borewells and worsening the shortage.

Several central parts of the city, including Jayadev Vihar and Acharya Vihar, are facing severe difficulties. Residents alleged that water pressure remains extremely low in Jayadev Vihar, Salia Sahi and nearby localities, except for a brief period between 5 am and 6 am.

Bijay Kumar Mohapatra, general secretary of the Srijagannath Senior Citizens’ Association, said residents of Ward No. 16 have repeatedly submitted written complaints to the local WATCO office and met with engineers regarding the issue. However, officials have reportedly told them to manage with the available supply due to the ongoing shortage.

WATCO officials said Bhubaneswar’s population, which stood at 8.40 lakh as per the 2011 Census, is estimated to have risen to 13.03 lakh by 2025. Based on current standards, the city requires around 135 litres of water per person per day.

Officials further stated that the burden on the Mundali water supply system has increased significantly. Mundali was originally supplying 115 MLD of water daily to areas such as Patia, Chandrasekharpur, Nayapalli and Khandagiri. However, due to reduced availability in the Kuakhai and Daya rivers and declining groundwater reserves, Mundali is now supplying nearly 145 MLD daily, resulting in an overload of around 35 MLD.