Bhubaneswar, Nov. 10 -- Days after two women died and six others were rendered critical after consuming mango kernel gruel, severe scarcity of safe drinking water has returned to haunt the villagers in Kandhamal's Mandipanka village under Daringbadi block.

Despite the government's initiative to provide water through 'Basudha Yojana', the village predominantly housing tribals, has been grappling with acute water shortage even during winter. Villagers here have to depend on a stream for drinking water purposes as tubewells in the village are releasing contaminated water and others lying defunct.

Meanwhile, the drinking water testing report of the village was found to have fecal contamination. This report comes at a time when the governmen...