Bhograi: The erosion caused by the raging sea off the 81-km coastal belt from Udaypur on the West Bengal-Odisha border to Gopalpur in Balasore district has been a matter of great concern for environmentalists and geo scientists.
Hundreds of people from villages in Bhograi, Baliapal, Basta and Balasore Sadar blocks are in constant fear of being swallowed by the sea.
Their fear increases during the Odia months of Ashadh, Shravan, Bhadrav and Ashwina when the sea becomes rough due to frequent low pressure systems.
Before the 1999 Super Cyclone, the casuarinas stood like a protective wall for the villages. The cyclone played havoc with the casuarinas and uprooted many trees. And now a vast area of the remaining jungle has been swallowed by the advancing sea.
The villagers of Udaypur, Sahapur, Gambharia, Bindhapadmapur, Kirtania and many more in Bhograi block, Chaumukh, Kankadapal and Hasakara in Baliapal block and Kashaphal, Bahabalpur, Parakhi and some other villages of Sadar block are facing threat from the marauding sea.
The casuarinas are continuously being uprooted by high tidal waves on full moon and new moon days. The geographical map of the river mouth and the coastal belt keeps changing almost every day.
With canals and drains connecting to the sea lying open and sluice gates out of order, the Talasari village of Bhograi block and Subarnapur village have become vulnerable to being swallowed up by the sea.
Farmlands are also badly hit, and very often they get inundated with sea water, damaging crops.
The 200 fishermen living in these areas are in panic. The dangerous behaviour of the sea has badly affected their livelihood and their incomes have come down substantially, it was learnt.
The government has not yet taken any step to check sea erosion. A 12-km long stone wall planned to check the sea has been left half built.
PNN