Drinking water crisis in Mandai, rainwater serves as drinking water

By Our Correspondent

Agartala, August 18, 2026

Despite tall claims of making available drinking water supply to people in nooks and corners of the state, easy access to pure drinking water continues to remain a problem. The point is best illustrated by the pitiable plight of the residents of Atuk Tuthang area under Mandai rural development block. The crisis of water is so acute in this area that people have to depend on conservation of ranwater for drinking as there is no other source of water supply in the area like tube wells , Mark-II or shallow tubewells . There is no provision for supply of pipe-water in the area.

More than two hundred families resident in the area are mostly day labourers and very marginal farmers or small traders who depend on their daily earning of Rs 500.00 for survival with family. “The trouble is that each family needs at five drums of water that has to be purchased at the rate of Rs 50.00 each ; so the daily cost of water is Rs 250.00 per family and we have to survive with food and other necessities only with the remaining Rs 250.00 in hand” said Rabi Charan Debbarma, a poor resident of the area.

Rabi Charan said that the problem of drinking water and also water for other works had been brought to the notice of Mandai MLA Swapna Debbarma and MDC Jiten Debbarma but so far no action has been taken by the elected representatives to resolve the acute problem of drinking water crisis. In sheer helplessness Rabi Charan Debbarma and his neighbours requested media persons to highlight this problem so that it draws the attention of the minister in charge of water resource and appropriate action is taken to resolve the crisis. He also regretted that Mandai is within 32 kms of Agartala town but the area is affected by this serious problem.

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