Jajpur: In order to alert people in advance about floods, the state water resources department will build 14 more forecasting systems in Baitarani and Budhabalanga rivers, a report said.
Six systems will be built on the Baitarani river basin in Jajpur and Bhadrak districts while eight will be in place on the Budhabalanga river basin spread in Balasore and Mayurbhanj districts.
Baitarani has a catchment area of 13,482 sq km. The six automatic water level recorders (AWLRs) will be constructed at Akhua Biridi bridge in Jajpur district, Bankasahi, Pangata, Chandbali and Rajghat bridge in Bhadrak district and one at Jalasuan Patna station in Keonjhar district.
Similarly, eight AWLRs will be built on 4,838 sq.km catchment area of Budhabalanga at Nalua, Central Division, Betanoti, Suliapada, Jambhira, Barang side in Mayurbhanj district and at Kanshabansha and Totapada stations in Balasore district.
This World Bank aided project will be set up at a cost of Rs 1279 crore, it was learnt.
Earlier, these two rivers had 48 AWLRs. However, with the extent of devastation caused by these two rivers increasing every year, it has been decided to additionally build 14 AWLRs. These will be built to help in measuring the rising water level in the rivers from time to time during floods. Residents said controlling the floods in Baitarani is more important as they devastate a large stretch of land in Jajpur and Bhadrak districts.
Sources from the state water resources department said that the major rivers in the state like Mahanadi, Subarnarekha, Brahmani, Baitarani, Rushikulya, Vamshadhara and their distributaries face flooding every year, which affects humans and livestock and destroys homes and crops.
As a result, the flood forecasting systems when built will greatly help in flood management. Reports said that the state government had sanctioned Rs9.90 crore for the construction of the right embankment of Baitarani river from Ranpur to Mathurapur bridge while it sanctioned Rs8.80 crore for construction of the left embankment from Daspari to Astaka in Bhdrak district.
Earlier, it had sanctioned Rs9.96 crore for construction of embankment at Balarampur, Balipatna, Hemantpur to the right of Baitarani river. The three projects when completed will help in flood control in Korei and Dasarathpur blocks in Jajpur district and in Bhandaripokhari block of Bhadrak district, the water resources department said.
The flood in August 2020 was one of the most severe ones in Baitarani and Brahmani rivers in the 21st century. This flood affected over 10 lakh people residing in 612 villages and one ward of 143 panchayats in all blocks and one municipality area in Jajpur district. As many as 25 breaches occurred and 12 persons died in this calamity for which panic grips residents ahead of every rainy season.
On the other hand, the government has planned for integrated river management and construction of barrages but these are yet to be implemented.
The illegal sand mining and disposal of waste from mines and industrial firms is burying up the riverbed. The people of Jajpur and Keonjhar districts have been agitating to resolve the issues. The state government has constructed 210 km and 180 km of river embankments to the right of Baitarani river, to the left of Brahmani, Kharasrota and Budhabalanga rivers and to the right of Birupa river. However, it has failed to ensure that breaches do not occur on these embankments.
It is alleged that the Baitarani riverbed is shrinking as several developmental works have been undertaken on the river basin, which is in Jajpur district.
PNN