Kendrapada: Four tribal-dominated villages under Pimpudia panchayat in Jajpur district’s Sukinda block are facing severe drinking water shortage due to defunct solar-powered water systems.The affected villages – Pimudia, Maharanapada, Arjunjhar and Mundasahi – with a combined population of 4,500, have been without proper water supply for the past six months after the water systems, which were installed last year, became defunct due to poor maintenance.“Every morning, I walk more than a kilometre carrying water pots to collect water from a stream for my family of five,” Sita Munda (38), a resident of Mundasahi, said. Many women from these villages face similar ordeals daily.Sarat Moharana (48) from Maharanapada village said that their solar-powered water tank operated for barely three months before breaking down due to faulty boring works. Villagers now rely on local streams, pits and small ponds for their daily needs.Tapan Kumar Nayak, sarpanch of Pimpudia panchayat, alleges gross negligence by rural water supply and sanitation (RWSS) officials in maintaining the systems. While some villagers boil water before consumption, many drink directly from these sources without filtering.Former Sukinda MLA and senior Congress leader, Sarat Rout, criticized the govt and said, ‘Despite crores being spent on providing safe drinking water, many remote areas remain deprived of this basic necessity.”RWSS assistant engineer Kartik Chandra Das attributed the crisis to low groundwater levels in hilly areas which is preventing solar pumps from lifting water to the tanks. “We are currently supplying water through tankers and expect the situation to improve with arrival of monsoon,” he said.The RWSS had installed these systems in hilltop villages to overcome power-related difficulties in water supply, but their failure has left thousands struggling for safe drinking water.