Even as the State Government claimed that breaches in river embankments are repaired and protective measures have been taken at vulnerable points, reports from coastal districts said that more than half of the breaches are yet to be closed.
Twenty-one districts were affected by floods in two phases last year. According to official reports, 234 breaches, including 25 big ones, occurred on the river embankments while as many as 337 vulnerable points were identified.
Kendrapara was the most affected district where more than 10 big breaches were reported after the floods in Mahakalpara, Ali and Marsaghai blocks. Monsoon has already arrived in the State but five breaches are yet to be repaired, official sources from the district said. Though the vulnerable points in the river embankments need to be strengthened through stone packing, the Water Resources Department has not taken any such measures, the sources said adding, the breaches closed by sand bag packings will not sustain even moderate floods.Most of the saline embankments in the district are so badly maintained that sea water is entering the mainland even during normal times. While the farmers are all set to start kharif operation, large tracts of agricultural land in the three blocks are inundated by saline waters hampering ploughing activities.
Similar is the situation in Jagatsinghpur, Balasore and Bhadrak districts. As some of the embankments are declared as capital embankments, allocation of funds do not commensurate with the repair required, said a senior member of the ruling BJD.
Moreover the left embankment of Taladanda canal is facing danger from the Mahanadi river, the Government is yet to take measures to protect the embankment. Sources said that the Water Resources Department has submitted a proposal to the NABARD which is under the latter’s consideration.
Even as monsoon rains have lashed most parts of the State, breaches occurred in the left and right embankments of the river Paika during the last year floods, have remained open. Last year, nearly 15 breaches - nine on the embankments of the Mahanadi and the Paika rivers - caused huge loss to people on the periphery Some of the legislators of the ruling party expressed concern over the lackadaisical approach of the Water Resources Department in closing the breaches and finding a permanent solution to the problems.The irate villagers of Biridi attacked the executive engineer and a junior engineer of Jagatsinghpur unit of the Irrigation Department recently protesting the sub-standard works and misappropriation of funds of different projects.
Massive erosion of the embankments of the Subarnarekha has been reported from Sekhabad, Gobarghata, Mankidia, Gobardhanpur, Baiganbadia, Kirtania, Kantapal and Mohammadpur areas.
