The entire Odisha had a triumphant and memorable day today as Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik launched “Sujal” or “Drink From Tap” programme in Puri – Jagannath Dham, which is linked to the emotions of 4.5 crore Odias as well as devotees across the world. Puri became the first city in India to attain Drink-from-Tap grade water 24 hours a day, seven days a week, in accordance with IS 10500 Quality Standards.

The Odisha government’s “Sujal” or “Drink From Tap” programme is a transformational project that comes under the 5T Governance Mantra and is expected to benefit the city’s 2.5 lakh residents as well as the 2 crore tourists that visit Lord Jagannath’s sacred city each year.

For the first time in India, cutting-edge technology that allows people to drink directly from the tap has become a reality.

Puri became the first city in the country to have a city-wide “drink from the tap” grade water delivery system with 100% metered home connections as a result of this. With this, Puri now joined the select cities such as Singapore, Los Angeles, New York, London and Tokyo to have the ‘Drink From Tap’ facility.

CM Naveen Patnaik has been working on this initiative for quite some time. It was his vision that enabled the mission’s success. This action will result in the abolition of 3 crore plastic water bottles. This means the city will be free of approximately 400 million metric tonnes of plastic trash. Patnaik said that the project is one of the greatest under the 5T programme.

It comprises a 24-hour helpline with IVRS for grievance redress, the launch of a mobile water testing laboratory, and the formation of a quick reaction team to address water supply concerns quickly.

Biju Janata Dal Government plans to cover all of the state’s urban areas by March 2022, making it the first state in India to accomplish this milestone.