SAMBALPUR: Fear of water scarcity has gripped residents of Sambalpur town after a 30 feet breach occurred in Ayodhya Sarovar anicut on Mahanadi river near Hatpada. On Tuesday, officials of Irrigation department visited the spot for inspection of the breach.
Executive engineer of Irrigation department Pramod Panda said the breach in the anicut was noticed three days back by locals. After inspection, engineers found that the breach was 30 feet wide and two feet deep. Due to the breach, stored water is flowing into the river.
He further said there are several factors involved in plugging the breach. “The anicut will be dried out to assess the amount of repair work and funds needed. As a large number of people are dependent on the anicut, we will have to convince them first. Besides, we will have to coordinate with Hirakud Dam authorities to stop the flow of water. The allocation of fund is another hurdle.”
Once the repair work starts, it will have to be completed in 4-5 days on war-footing as more delay will cause severe inconvenience to people, Panda added.Sources said locals have been alleging lack of maintenance of the anicut ever since it was built in the mid-1960s. After its construction, the anicut was handed over to Sambalpur municipality by the Irrigation department. It languished in neglect for years due to lack of funds before minor repair works were carried out from the peripheral development fund of the municipality during the period of 2009-11.
Named after the then Governor of Odisha Ayodhyanath Khosla, the anicut is around 1,700 metre long. Its height from the river bed is around two metre. Since Hirakud Dam reservoir is situated upstream and water is released only during monsoon, the artificial lake was developed to store water to meet the daily needs of local residents.
Besides, many fishermen earn their livelihood from the Sarovar while farmers draw water from it for irrigation purposes. Sources said the water level of Ayodhya Sarovar has decreased significantly after the breach, thereby affecting the local people.