Puri has become the first Indian city to have ‘drink-from-tap’ facilities all across the city. Now, people of Puri can enjoy safe drinking water directly from the tap which can be used for cooking and drinking, without requiring any extra filtration. 

Odisha Chief Minister, Naveen Patnaik inaugurated the ‘Sujal’ or drink-from-tap mission on Jul 26, 2021. This mission has made Puri, the first city in India to have 24-hour drinking water which can be accessed directly from the home taps. 

During the inauguration, the Chief Minister gave a statement where he said, “Puri has now joined the elite group of international cities like London, New York, and Singapore in supplying quality potable water from municipal taps throughout the day.” 

This amazing mission will benefit around 2.5 lakh residents of Puri, Odisha.

During the conversation with the media, CM Patnaik also said, “Today marks the beginning of a new chapter in the history of not only Puri, but entire Odisha. From now on, all the families living in Puri Dham of Mahaprabhu will have access to clean drinking water from tap 24 hours. Under the Sujal scheme, one can drink water directly from the tap. Storage or filter is not required.”

CM Patnaik also appreciated the efforts of the State Housing and Urban Department, he added, “Within nine months, 2.5 lakh people in Puri would have access to Sujal facility. It will also benefit two crore tourists arriving at Puri every year. They would not have to carry water bottles everywhere.”

Water fountains have been installed at 400 locations including the Grand Road in Puri. This initiative is expected to minimise the plastic waste produced throughout the city. 

During the inauguration event, CM Patnaik talked about the benefits of the Sujal mission, where he said, “This is the best model of the ‘5T’ initiative. Good drinking water has a strong link with health, living standards and the economy. Therefore, I urge people not to waste or pollute the water. The budget for drinking water has been doubled in five years. The previous water budget of Rs 200 crore has reached Rs 4,000 crore today.”

Durgashankar Mishra, Secretary, Housing and Urban Affairs, said, “The implementation of the country’s first drink-from-tap project on the first Monday of the month of Shravan in Mahaprabhu Jagannath’s city is a matter of great pride.”

If proved successful, the Sujal scheme will change the way we use tap water. Once fully implemented, Odisha will become the first state in India to have a 24-hours safe drinking water facility. 

Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik inaugurated the ‘Sujal’ or drink-from-tap mission on Monday.

The drink-from-tap mission of the Odisha government has made Puri the first in the country to have city-wide 24-hour quality drinking water from the tap.