Kalipada: Panic spread among locals as a 30-foot breach occurred in the embankment of the Coast Canal between Mahabala and Madhupura under Kalipada block in Balasore district Friday night.
Due to floods in the Subarnarekha river and continuous heavy rains, the water levels have risen throughout the Baliapal region. It is pertinent to mention that the road construction work from Haldipada to Bhograi is going on. The breach occurred as the blocked water flow in the Coast Canal put pressure on the embankment where the construction work was underway.
The local administration has been using sandbags to fill the breach. However, locals feared that if a permanent solution is not implemented, about 20 villages, including Naighati, Goshanibindha, Mundananji, Surudiha, and Rautuda, in Pratappur and Jagatipur panchayats will be submerged. Additionally, hundreds of hectares of agricultural land in areas like Solasa Pantha could be destroyed.
Locals say that the lack of a guard wall along the canal’s embankment is causing the breach, as it is not able to withstand the pressure of the water. Local residents Jagannath Jena, Gunanidhi Patra, Ramanath Pradhan, Kartik Raut, Chakradhar Pila, and Sameer Panigrahi have urged departmental authorities to take notice of the situation.
PNN