Solving the water issues at Chiriya

Chiriya is a revenue village of Manoharpur block. It is located by the bank of a beautiful river. The inhabitants of Chiriya largely depend on water from this river for their household use and irrigation purposes. There are 140 households in the village. Chiriya is known for the iron ore mines operated by the Steel Authority of India Limited (SAIL). A kachcha road connects the mining area from the main road. Vehicles from SAIL use the road all through the day and it makes the road dusty. This is unhygienic and unhealthy for the residents. Other issues in the village are:

• Water pollution – waste from the SAIL mines dumped in the river makes it unhygienic for household use.
• Respiratory problems – Constant vehicle movement makes the road dusty

Post the community engagement in the village and to address the existing issues, the Gram Sabha meeting was held on 2.5.2018. The manager of the SAIL mines and the officer in charge of Chiriya police station were invited for the gram sabha meeting. The issues/ problems were put before them. It was agreed that SAIL would sprinkle water on the road on a daily basis and the practice started the very next day onwards. The company has agreed to provide safe drinking water to the village shortly. A formal application citing the issues and actions recommended has been formally submitted to the management. The case exhibits the initiative of the Gram Sabha once they understand their role in raising their issues of concerns.