Berhampur’s water supply has been sharply disrupted after floods linked to Cyclone Arnab damaged the 135-year-old Janibili project, reducing the project’s output from about 90 million litres a day to 45 million litres, according to Watco officials.
The Janibili project is a key source for the Odisha city, popularly known as the Silk City. Its damage has affected the surface-water system that serves Berhampur, forcing the water utility and civic administration to combine reservoir reserves, collection wells and tankers to cover the shortfall.
Bikash Padhy, general manager of Watco’s Berhampur division, said the project had supplied around 90 million litres of water daily before the damage. That contribution has now fallen to about 45 million litres. Watco has deployed around 46 water tankers in deficit areas, he said.
The city is currently receiving about 75 million litres against an estimated daily requirement of 90 million litres, Padhy said. This includes approximately 64 million litres from surface-water sources and an additional eight million litres from 18 production wells. The figures cited by the official indicate that the system remains below the stated requirement while emergency sources are being used to maintain supply.
Water is also being managed through reserves stored in the Dakhinapur reservoir and through collection wells and other available sources. These measures are intended to maintain distribution in areas affected by the loss of Janibili’s normal output, while tanker operations are focused on locations facing a larger deficit.
The disruption highlights the dependence of urban water systems on ageing intake, storage and distribution infrastructure. The Janibili project was constructed in 1891 during British rule over a river to store water and supply it for drinking and irrigation through a canal network. Its continued role in Berhampur’s municipal supply makes the condition of the historic project an immediate operational concern for the city.
Berhampur Municipal Corporation commissioner A Sasya Reddy has appealed to residents to use water judiciously during the disruption. The civic body has also deputed labourers to speed up repair work at Janibili.
Jagannath Pani, chief engineer for the Rushikulya, Vansadhara and Nagabali river basins, said the repair work was expected to be completed soon. Until the project is restored, Watco and the civic body will continue relying on reservoir reserves, groundwater production wells and tanker distribution to manage the reduced supply.
