Dhamnagar: Even though the government has spent crores of rupees for improved water governance, the farmers of Dhamnagar block in Bhadrak district continue to face drought-like situation every year.
An anicut at the mouths of Reba and Balichatiri rivers near Banka Sahi of Kothar panchayat is the only solution to save us from perennial drought, many people from ten panchayats under Dhamnagar block said.
The demand for an anicut is currently gaining strength as the work on Kochila barrage is going to be started soon. Floodwater of Kochila, Gourangapur escape and Mallimahara flow through this river mouth. The proposed anicut can hold the floodwater that flows through Reba river, Jant Mahara, Phalapur Mahara and Haripur check dam towards sea.
“If the floodwater of Reba and Balichitiri rivers is retained here in rainy season, thousands of hectares of farmlands on both sides of ten-kilometre-long stretch along the river can be irrigated. Farmers can grow vegetables,” said Nirakar Rout, a farmer from Dinajpur village.
According to former Kothar panchayat samiti member Manoranjan Mandal, “A sluice gate at the river mouth will go a long way in making thousands of acres of farmlands in Kothar, Phatepur, Asurali, Kasimpur, Dhushuri, Bhatta Sahi, Nadigaon, Dalang, Arjunpur, Bayangadihi and Radhaballavpur panchayats drought-free.”
Similarly, a retired army man Purnachandra Nayak observed that Banka Sahi is the best location for an anicut. The location is suitable to hold water up to Haripur check dam and on the other end up to Asurali.
When contacted, Kothar sarpanch Nimain Nayak said the farmers’ long-standing demand for an anicut has justifications. It has already been taken up with administrative officials and political leaders, he added.
PNN