KENDRAPARA: The Drainage Division under Water Resources department has recently started renovation of the 5 km long Gobari river, a tributary of Mahanadi at a cost of Rs 6 crore to spruce up its bed to make it navigable for fishing vessels.
Currently, the water level of the river is inadequate for operation of fishing vessels due to which dredging in the river up to five feet depth is being carried out. The river’s embankments too are being stone-packed, said executive engineer of Drainage Division, Kendrapara Bankabihari Samal. Due to littoral drifts or sedimentation, flood water does not flow into the river during monsoon. Sand deposits and illegal constructions near the river further affect the water flow. Samal said 30 per cent of the work is already over and the project will be completed within six months.
However, residents of several villages located near the river alleged the renovation work is not only sub-standard but also moving at a snail’s pace. Biswanath Behera, a retired engineer said inadequate flow of water in the river is affecting agriculture and environment in the riverside villages. He said over 20 cattle and other animals are slaughtered at an abattoir in Dilawarpur village and the waste is being dumped into the river. But, no steps have yet been taken by the authorities concerned.
Hoping that renovation of the river will help farmers, Haripada Das of Thakurapatana village said they are not able to draw water from the river for irrigating their fields now. Gobari river was once the lifeline of hundreds of villages and thousands of farmers. The river was famous for navigation during pre-Independence period. However, with improvement in road transport, boats gradually stopped, said former principal of Kendrapara College, Nanda Kishor Parida.