KENDRAPARA: The fate of a large number of pisciculture farmers now hangs in balance in the flood-affected areas of Kendrapara district as fishes were swept away from their ponds. One such affected farmer Sangram Das of Benipur village in Derabishi block said he had reared fish in two ponds. He used to catch 5-10 kg fish from the ponds and earned around Rs 10,000 per month. But, floodwater washed away almost all fish from the ponds last week.
Similar is the plight of Bichitra Behera of Patarapur village in Aul block, who reared fish on pond spread over 20 decimal land. He said his pond was flooded during the breeding period and the fish swept into the nearby river.
Like Sangram and Bichitra, around 10,000 fishermen from the district, who depend on ponds for their livelihood, are staring at uncertainty. Even as the losses are estimated to run into lakhs, the Fisheries department is yet to initiate a survey to assess the damage. The worst sufferers are fishermen whose ponds are located on the banks of rivers, said president of Odisha Matsyajibi Forum Narayan Haldar.
The fishermen were hit hard as their ponds were flooded during breeding period. Haldar said ingress of polluted river water into the ponds has only made matters worse as it will affect the fish which were not swept away in the flood. He urged the State Government to provide financial assistance to the affected fishermen. Shrimp farm owners of the district too have suffered immensely due to the flood.
District fisheries officer Mamata Mohapatra said the department would carry out a survey soon to assess the extent of damage in the district. “We have directed fisheries extension officers of all blocks to submit a detailed report on the losses incurred by the fishermen due to the flood. She said while the affected fishermen will be compensated, prawn gheris owners who have not registered their farms with the department, will be left out of the benefits.