Bhubaneswar: Alleging prolonged neglect over drinking water problems, residents of Sajarasahi under Bagedia panchayat in Angul district on Tuesday staged a blockade on National Highway 153B near Bagedia, disrupting traffic movement for around an hour. The protesters, mostly women, sat on the busy highway with pots, buckets and other containers, demanding immediate intervention by the administration to ensure adequate supply of drinking water in the area. Vehicular movement came to a halt on both flanks of the road.Villagers alleged that despite repeatedly approaching local officials and elected representatives over the past several months, no concrete steps had been taken to address the worsening water crisis.“We rely mainly on piped water supply for our daily needs. However, water is supplied only for around half-an-hour and that too, on low pressure. The quantity is insufficient for our households,” said Tukuna Sahoo, a local resident.He further alleged that while some tube wells in the locality had become defunct, while others dispensed foul-smelling water suspected to contain heavy metals, making them unsafe for drinking and domestic use.Another protester, Pratima Behera, said residents had repeatedly informed the local sarpanch and officials at the block and district levels about the issue, but no permanent solution had been provided so far. “Sometimes, we return home from work to find no water at all, making it impossible to manage our daily lives without water,” she said.An agitating woman said residents were forced to take to streets as their grievances went unheard for months. “We had no other option left. We are struggling for drinking water every day,” she added.After the blockade continued for some time, Bagedia police reached the spot and held discussions with the protesters. Following the police’s assurance that the issue would be taken up with the authorities concerned, the villagers lifted their agitation and traffic normalised on the highway.