KENDRAPARA: Even as floodwater from Mahanadi river is set to reach the district on Monday morning, hundreds of people stayed awake and stood alert on river embankments to prevent entry of floodwater into their villages.
With Luna, Chitratola and Kani rivers in spate, the spectre of an imminent flood is haunting residents of riverside villages. Mahesh Behera of Beradi village said in the devastating floods of 1982, the Baredighai embankment had collapsed due to onslaught of river water as a result of which 32 villages were marooned and thousands of houses caved in.
After the disaster, the Government had repaired and stone-packed Baredighai. However, due to lack of proper maintenance, it had caved in five years back. Akhil Sahoo of Bahakandia blamed rodents for weakening of the river embankments. "Rats have been burrowing the embankments, rendering it hollow and weak due to which the villagers are worried," he said.
At Kalapada village in Marsaghai block on the banks of Luna river, the vulnerable point on the embankment was mended by the locals using sandbags on Saturday. Prasanta Jena of Bahakandia village said the locals have been working day and night and placing sandbags on the embankment to stop the flow of floodwater.
"We have been working 24 hours to save our village from the marching floodwater," Sathrughan Sahoo of Kacheripada village, whose house is located close to the embankment.
He said that a few senior officials including the local MLA turned up at the village to pay solace to the frightened villagers. District emergency officer Sambeet Satapathy said, "We have directed officials of Irrigation and Roads and Buildings departments to put sandbags and take other steps to protect the river embankments and the officials with the help of villagers are doing their work."