BHUBANESWAR: The State Government will spend Rs 35 crore under Integrated Coastal Zone Management Project (ICZMP) to prevent coastal erosion near Mangala river mouth in Puri and Ramayapatna village close to Bahuda river mouth in Ganjam district.
According to sources, Rs 13.48 crore will be spent for construction of two training jetties on either side of river Mangala towards its mouth in Puri, while Rs 22.02 crore will be spent for construction of a sea wall to address erosion and saline intrusion at Ramayapatna village under Katuru panchayat.
Officials said due to littoral drift of river Mangala, a sand bar has formed at its mouth obstructing free flow of river discharge into the sea. It is also causing submergence to the homestead land and agriculture field in the river upstream. Besides, the coastline near the river mouth is also getting eroded due to high velocity of the river flow.
Accordingly, the National Institute of Ocean Technology (NIOT), Chennai, which has carried out a survey for protect the area from sea ingression has suggested construction of two training jetties on both sides of the river bank from the sea mouth.
Officials said measures are also being taken to prevent sea ingression of coastline between Ramchandi temple and Chandrabhaga on Puri-Konark marine drive road and another guard wall would be constructed to prevent sea ingression.
As suggested by NIOT, a sea wall will be constructed near Ramyapatna village to protest the coastal village in Ganjam from coastal erosion near Bahuda river mouth. As per the survey, the Ramayapatna stretch has been classified as highly vulnerable to erosion in the vulnerability atlas.
Though erosion near the village is seasonal, during cyclone the high tide waves also erode coastal roads of the village and pose risk to around 2,400 people living there. Besides, construction of dam and other irrigation structures have resulted in steady decline in discharge of sediment to the river mouth leading to morphological changes at the river mouth which in turn is causing erosion on the down side and accretion on the up side of the river mouth. To prevent the shoreline extending into the village further, a 1,295 metre boundary wall has been proposed.