JAGATSINGHPUR: Seawater entered human habitation through four breaches on the saline embankment near Kalabedi on Sunday, threatening as many as 15 villages under Erasama block. The sea surge has progressed up to 300 metres from the shore, entering the paddy fields and residential areas. Villagers of Kalabedi, Siali, Padmapur, Gadbishnupur, Janakadeipur, Nardia and Goda are living in fear as tidal waves constantly hit the beach since the last one week due to the low pressure formed over Bay of bengal.
This has given rise to concerns about sea erosion The sea has made its way into the some portions of Siali beach, one of the tourist attractions in the district, which were earlier considered safe for tourists. Sources said the tidal waves have washed away the forest cover near the beach comprising ‘banhi’ and ‘casuarina’ trees.Padmapur sarpanch Keshab Charan Patra said five years back, the sea was 300 metre away from the village. Now, it has come closer and is constantly eating away the coast. “Engineers had visited the area and even put sand bags to stop the erosion. But it has not yielded any result. We demand permanent solution like erection of sea wall with groynes,” he said.
The district administration has taken several measures with the help of Water Resources department and Mahanadi South Division to prevent sea erosion but to no avail, sources said.On Monday, a team of experts and engineers led by Erasama block development officer Kailash Chandra Behera visited the spot and initiated steps to fill the breaches with sand bags.
Executive engineer of Mahanadi South Division, Cuttack Basant Rout said the threat of sea erosion is imminent as some portions of the protection wall have caved in. “We have approached the State Government for construction of coastal embankment as a permanent solution. We have submitted a proposal to the Asian Development Bank through the Special Relief Commissioner for an embankment at Siali,” he added.
Crops submerged
Dhenkanal: Incessant rains since the last few days have submerged around 3,000 hectare (ha) of farmland in different blocks of the district. The worst hit are Bhuban, Gondia and Kankadahada blocks. Sources said crops over vast tracts of land in Kanka, Kathapal and Bainsia villages have been inundated by rainwater. On Monday, Bhuban received 471 mm rainfall. The continuous rain has also disrupted road communication in the three blocks as well as Joranda and Karmul. Dhenkanal has received 362.59 mm rainfall in the month against the normal of 344.8 mm. District Agriculture Officer Rajkishore Nayak said, “We have received reports of paddy crop damage over 1,840 ha of land in Bhuban. Damage assessment is underway and will be completed on Tuesday.” Paddy is grown over 7,000 ha of land in Bhuban.