Constructions on floodplain area of Mahanadi river illegal, says NGT panel

The case is scheduled to be taken up for hearing along with the Committee’s report which was submitted on Monday.
Eroding floodplain on the left embankment of Mahanadi river at Pinpur in Cuttack district
Eroding floodplain on the left embankment of Mahanadi river at Pinpur in Cuttack district

CUTTACK: A committee constituted by the National Green Tribunal (NGT) has warned that encroachments in the floodplain area of Mahanadi river at Ratilo under Kishannagar tehsil of Cuttack district may lead to diversion in the flow of water leading to flood in adjacent villages in near future.

A Hanuman temple has been constructed at the embankment of Mahanadi river in Ratilo by Panchamukhi Hanuman Temple Trust. Stating that the temple construction is illegal, the committee in its report said floods in Kerala, Jammu & Kashmir and in Pune last year were due to indiscriminate encroachment of the floodplain area.

NGT’s Principal Bench (New Delhi) had constituted the committee to probe into allegations that concrete constructions including a Panchamukhi Hanuman temple were being carried out in the river bed at Ratilo.
The committee comprises Engineer-in-Chief of Water Resources department, Odisha, Jyotirmaya Rath; Chief Engineer (Flood Control and Basin Manager-Lower Mahanadi Basin) Jugal Kishore Tripathy; scientist of Central Pollution Control Board Susmita Ekka and Sub-Collector of Cuttack Sadar Pratap Chandra Beura.

One Dilip Kumar Samantaray had filed a petition seeking intervention into encroachments on the Mahanadi’s flood plain area as they posed threat to the environment and obstruct flow of river water. The case is scheduled to be taken up for hearing along with the Committee’s report which was submitted on Monday.

“Temple constructed by the Panchamukhi Hanuman Temple Trust is situated within the embankment of river Mahanadi. It is within 35 metre from the embankment from the left bank of Mahanadi. The trust has no approval from administration to construct the temple at the site, as reported by the district administration”, the committee said in its report. It observed that the temple has been constructed in the floodplain area of river Mahanadi which is a prohibited activity zone. The floodplain areas are the important component of a river eco-system as they help absorb excess water during flood and also as a hollow channel of water course.

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