BERHAMPUR: Several fishing boats were damaged due to high tide at New Podempeta village of Ganjam block on Friday night. Though high tides occur during full moon, the unusual phenomenon has the villagers, who depend on fishing for livelihood, worried.
The village, inhabited by 400 families, does not have a jetty due to which the fishing vessels are tied to poles. The high tide of over 10 feet overturned several of the boats and damaged the fishing nets. Besides, sea water has entered almost one km into the village.
The locals said although the Government constructed houses for them as the area is prone to ingress of sea water, little was done to ensure proper infrastructure. With the Meteorological department predicting rains in the coming days, the villagers are spending sleepless nights. The families were shifted to the village five years back.