JEYPORE/JAJPUR:Heavy rains lashed Koraput district, throwing normal life out of gear, on Friday.
Vehicular traffic came to a grinding halt on Boipariguda-Malkangiri, Koraput- Salur and Jeypore-Kotpad roads. Markets were closed in Jeypore, Kotpad, Sunabeda and Koraput due to the rains. Farmers have been affected the most as rains left agriculture fields inundated.
According to reports, the district received over 120 mm rainfall in the last 24 hours as a result of which major rivers flowing through Koraput are in spate. Indravati, Surli, Ulatjaharana, Patali and Saptadhara rivers are flowing close to the danger mark.
The Upper Kolab Dam authorities opened two sluice gates as water level of Kolab crossed the danger level in the morning. This is the second time the gates were opened in the last fortnight. Officials said two gates, each four metres high, were opened to release excess water to downstream areas in Jeypore, Koraput, Kundra and Boipariguda. There is no flood alert, officials added.
In Jajpur, the rains damaged standing paddy crops even as hundreds of hectares (ha) of land have been inundated. Sources said paddy crops over 400 ha have been waterlogged in Bari, Dharmasala, Rasulpur, Barchana, Jajpur, Dasarhapur and Binjharpur blocks of the district. Crops had ripened in a majority of areas and farmers had planned to harvest them soon. “I had grown paddy in three acres of land and the crops were to be harvested next week, “ said Pravat Kumar Mohanty, a farmer of Bari block, who is now apprehensive of the yield.
Paddy crops on 800 acres of land in Dharmasala, Rasulpur, Barachana, Jajpur, Dasarhapur and Binjharpur blocks have been destroyed. Affected farmers have demanded that the district administration should conduct damage assessment at the earliest and provide them compensation for crop loss.
“Incessant rain has been lashing the district for the last three days and the intensity was higher in the last 24 hours. Farmers should be immediately compensated as many of them had taken loans for cultivation,” said Biswanath Panda, a leader of Naba Nirman Krushak Sangathan.
District Agriculture officials said block-level officials have been asked to submit a report on crop loss after receipt of which, compensation will be provided to farmers by the State Government.