India, March 5 -- With piped water supply disrupted for days, residents of several villages in Chilika block of Odisha's Khordha district are facing an acute drinking water crisis as hundreds of families struggle to access safe water.

As per reports, Rahanabeli village, which comes under Ankula panchayat, has not received piped water for nearly three months. Meanwhile, water supply to Samantasingharpur and Kaluri villages has remained suspended for around 15 days due to a burnt motor at the pump facility. With most parts of the block located close to Chilika Lake, water from wells, ponds and even many tube wells is saline and unsuitable for drinking. Consequently, people in the region depend almost entirely on the piped water supply for ...