KENDRAPARA: Villagers of Narendrapur in Aul block of the district continue to spend sleepless nights with the marauding Brahmani river eating into their land.
While erosion has been witnessed in around 15 riverside villages like Kandia, Sahupada, Jamudanda, Manikapatana, Sansida, Tthakurasahi, Madhuban, Jayakunda, Bajapur, Baradiha, Mantapada, Upalei, Jharakata and Barunadiha in the block, the river has devoured a four-roomed thatched house of Purushottam Nath (56) in Narendrapur village.Pitambar Nayak, a villager of Narendrapur, said, “Sea erosion has posed a threat to farming in the area. In the last 20 years, the crawling river has eaten into nearly two acres of my agricultural land.”
Sources said Kalindi Roul (60) of Kandia village has shifted his house three times to save himself from the marching river. Last month, Kalindi was forced to leave his ancestral village after river devoured his house. Similarly, Akshya Swain of Narendrapur village was the owner of two acres of land two decades back. But now, he is landless as the river consumed all his crop land.
Mathuri Swain of Narendrapur said, “While the river is all set to consume our village, it seems the authorities concerned have turned a blind eye to river erosion problem in the area. Hundreds of farmers living along the river banks are struggling to protect their land as their villages are shrinking.”
It is feared that the primary school and high school at Narendrapur will also be affected by erosion within a year. Three years back, the river had consumed the village temple and Bhagabat Gadi, said Gopinath Dhal of the village.
The hapless farmers have seen the river devouring their land over the decades, with pace accelerating in recent years. Erosion is also posing a threat to around 10 schools, 12 temples and many village cremation grounds in these areas, said Basant Das of Jayakunda.
Executive Engineer of Embankment Division, Aul, Purnachandra Rath said a proposal of `four crore has been submitted to the State Government to build stone-packed river embankment in the village.