JAGATSINGHPUR: The dying Alaka river, which was once the lifeline of thousands of people, will soon be rejuvenated. Of the Rs 38 crore proposed to be spent on the project, Rs 13 crore was recently sanctioned by the State government under Drainage Improvement Plan. Alaka forms a branch of Biluakhai river at Birabarapatana in Biridi block. It used to sustain thousands of villages in Biridi, Jagatsinghpur, Balikuda and Erasama blocks. While the dead river runs for 52 km, the portion which is still active runs for 22 km.
However, the flow of water in the river has been restricted due to invasion of weeds and absence of desiltation. The State government’s technical advisory committee recommended its renovation. Of the Rs 13 crore sanctioned by the government, Rs 6.60 crore would be spent on rejuvenating the Odisso-Adhang stretch, Rs 6.42 crore will be used to renovate the stretch from Adhang to Asilo. Survey of the river is underway to identify and remove encroachments on its banks on the stretch from Birabarapatana to Odisso. Executive engineer of Drainage Division, Ashish Kumar Mishra said around Rs 38 crore would be spent on rejuvenation of the river of which Rs 13 crore has already been sanctioned. Encroachment is rampant on the banks of the river but active stretch is free from it,” he said.
A voluntary outfit, Society for Upliftment of Nation (SUN) had filed a PIL in Orissa High Court seeking direction to the State Government to take steps for revival of the river from Nalio to Majhikora village unde r Bal ikuda block i n Jagatsinghpur. The petitioner had stated that the river requires desiltation and preservation of water which will help the farmers in the area for agriculture. As per reports, the matter was placed before the Union Ministry of Water resources, which had asked the State Government to prepare a project report and submit it to the Central government for further action. A six-member team of Central Inland Fisheries Research Institute (CIFRI), Kolkata had visited Biridi block to prepare Techno Economic Feasibility Report (TEFR) required for submission of detailed project reports to the State government and the Centre for approval of projects to revamp the river in 2018.