KENDRAPARA: Tidal surges due to the depression over the Bay of Bengal coupled with incessant rains and gusty wind for the last four days have caused seawater to enter many villages and inundate vast swathes of farmland in the coastal pockets of Kendrapara district.
The gushing seawater has swept standing summer paddy crops at Lanchuda, Akhadasala, Tantiapala, Batighar, Badatubi, Sanatubi, Kajalapatia, Kandarapatia, Suniti, Babar, Talachua, Rangani and other villages.
Bichitrananda Behera (55) of Langudi said tidal waves entered the village on Thursday after breaching the weak saline embankment at four places. As a result, many farmers lost their crops to the rolling water.
Similarly, Sahadev Mandal of Batighar said due to the tidal ingress, around 3,000 acre of agricultural land have been submerged in seawater. “Many farmers had raised paddy crops. Their hopes have been dashed after saline water entered their fields due to the weak embankment,” he alleged.
Farmer leader and president of the district unit of Krushak Sabha Umesh Chandra Singh said the fate of a large number of paddy and vegetable growers is now at stake as the tidal ingress has damaged their crops.
Former MLA of Kendrapara Kishor Tarei said seawater often enters the coastal villages due to non-repair of saline embankments and construction of sub-standard sluice gates. Around 50 sluice gates and a major portion of the embankment in Rajnagar and Mahakalapada blocks is on the verge of collapse. The administration is yet to take any step to repair it, he claimed.
Additional district magistrate (ADM) of Kendrapara Nilu Mohapatra said all the block developments officers have been directed to submit reports about the damage caused by saline ingress in the seaside villages. “After getting the reports, we will take appropriate steps to help the affected people.”
Meanwhile, continuous rain for the last four days has inundated low-lying areas in Kendrapara town, throwing normal life out of gear. Sources said rainwater has entered many houses in Fakirabad, Ranapada, Dilarapur, Kakata, Badahat, Santasahi and other localities in the town.