KENDRAPARA: Even as farmers of Kendrapara district gear themselves up for rabi cultivation, weeding from the irrigation canals has not begun leaving farmers worried about obstruction of water to flow into the farm fields.Sources said, farmers of Kendrapara, Pattamundai, Marsaghai and Jamboo are most affected with long ribbon-like weeds growing in the canals restraining flow of water.
“Weeds are more dangerous than the tape grass in obstructing water flow. The weed mats formed on the canals serve as breeding grounds for mosquitoes. In some places of Kendrapara, Pattamundai and Marsaghai, the canals are already covered with undergrowth. It would be helpful for the coastal villages if the canals are renovated,” suggested a farmer of Tulasipur village Sarat Adhikari.
Locals of Kendrapara town meanwhile informed that they had since long requested the authorities to get the canals cleaned and desilted. “The 15 km Marshaghai- Jamboo canal is covered with weeds but nothing has been done to clean it up as yet,” said Narendra Rout of Manikunda village.
“The presence of a fast-growing submerged aquatic weed species in the canals has evoked serious concerns among the environmentalists too,” said former chairman of Kendrapara municipality Bijay Krushna Sahoo.
Speaking on the matter environmentalist Sudhansu Parida said the dense growth of aquatic weeds promote increased silting of the water bodies, gradually making them shallow and dry. “Their intense growth block the entry of light into water, badly affecting the diversity of indigenous fish varieties and other organisms living in them,” he added. Executive engineer of Irrigation department Umesh Sethi said, “The weeds will be removed soon. The district administration has decided to engage people under MGNREGA to remove them.”