Residents in Adityapur will have to cope up with acute water crisis during this summer too as the mega drinking water project is still pending in the absence of forest clearance.

Many residents have already started buying potable water as the borewells in their residential premises as well as apartments turned defunct due to depleting conditions of underground water in the densely-populated area.

Ironically, the residents of this tiny township in the adjoining Seraikela-Kharsawan district will have to wait for a minimum two years to get tap water despite beingn provided with water connections and water meters at their houses by the agency entrusted to carry out the mega water project.

The ambitious project worth Rs 395 crores was launched in November 2018, six months after Adityapur Municipal Corporation (AMC) came into being.

The aim of the project being executed by Jindal Water Infrastructure Ltd was to provide tap water to 50,000 plus households by November 2021. Presently, only 8,000 households are getting the tap water and the remaining 42,000 households is dependent on borewells.

City manager, AMC, Ajay Kumar who looks after the work of the water project said the executing agency has already completed 75 per cent of the project since the past one year, but the work is stuck up at the proposed water filtration plant (WFP) in Sapra village.

"The agency has already completed the pipeline laying work and has given water connection to all the households, but the construction of WFP at Sapra is to begin as the land where it is to be set up belongs to the forest department. We had applied for forest clearance at the initial stage of the project three years ago, " deplored Kumar while talking to The Telegraph Online.

The city manager pointed out even if the forest clearance is made available anytime now, it will take two years to construct the WFP.

He pointed out the the WFP is scheduled to be set up on a plot of land measuring 11.5 acres. He said they have already handed over the same extend of Jharkhand government land to the forest department beside fulfilling other parameters for the forest clearance.

"We are aware about the residents' plight and know well that the water crisis is bound to deepen further in coming months, but we are helpless, " said Kumar.

Seraikela divisional forest officer, Aditya Narayan in his reply while talking to The Telegraph Online said "the papers related to the forest clearance are lying with the forest department authority in Ranchi and we expect the forest clearance will be made available soon. "