Residents of seaside villages are grappling with drinking water crisis this summer as excessive salinity in Luna river has rendered two saline water treatment (SWT) plants defunct in Mahakalapada block of Kendrapara district.

To desalinate Luna river water and provide drinking water to locals, the State government in 2017 had set up the two SWT plants in seaside villages of Gojabandha and Mangalpur.

Villagers were getting 40,000 litre of drinking water from the two plants. But last week, both the plants became defunct.

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