As both surface and ground water of large parts of Angul and Dhenkanal district is polluted due to coalmines, power plants, aluminium and steel industries, concerned citizens, social activists, lawyers and people’s representatives have demanded piped water supply from both Mahanadi and Brahmani rivers to the people of these two districts. Presiding over a meeting held on the World Water Day here on Sunday, Foundation for Ecological Security (FES) team leader Swapna Sarangi expressed concern over the growing pollution in this region and demanded a complete moratorium on establishment of new mine projects and industries in this ‘Critically Polluted Area’. Water Initiatives, Odisha convener Ranjan Panda said, “The theft of our public waters by polluters is not acceptable.” He urged for protecting and restoring water quality through community action and enforcement. He identified threats of pollution from mining; industries, thermal power plants, from ill-managed urban sewerage and garbage and also from threats of climate change. Presenting a paper on the present position of the water crisis in Angul and Dhenkanal districts, Bijay Mishra, journalist and general secretary of’ the Citizens’ Action Forum, said, “Mahanadi and Brahmani flow in around 250 km in Angul and Dhenkanal. Here the Government allocated as much as 1,028 cusecs of water to total 26 industries whereas only 11.38 cusecs allocated to three urban bodies of these two districts. The level of fluoride in the groundwater around Nalco has been found to be higher than the norm. During post-monsoon period, there had also been few instances of burning of paddy crops allegedly due to the effect of fluoride bearing gases. The ambient temperature of this area rises close to 50°C. Land is converted to ash ponds and solid waste disposal facilities are increasing day by day. This process converts agricultural land into unproductive barren land. Groundwater level around the mining area is depleting due to extraction of ground water for the mining activity. This causes acute shortage of water in the surrounding villages.” “While acute water crisis hits around six lakh people of Brahmani and Mahanadi basins in Angul and Dhenkanal due to rapid industrilasation and mining activities and people are deprived of getting drinking water and irrigation water from river Brahmani, the Government is preparing to allocate more water to upcoming industries and coalmines establishments,” Mishra said and demanded a ban on use of Mahanadi and Brahmani waters for further use for mines and industries. Among others, the meeting was addressed by senior advocate Rabindra Prasad Pattnaik, Bhupesh Pradhan, Sisir Tripathy, Prasarna Behera and Brahmajyoti Mishra.