Kendrapara: Gobari river, once the lifeline of farmers and residents in Kendrapara district, is dying a slow death with rapid urbanisation taking over the natural landscapes in the district. Unabated dumping of untreated sewage and wastes is spelling doom for the river which has been bearing the brunt of urbanisation. This has happened as the water route connecting the river in Kendrapara block with Brahmani river under Pattamundai block is lying buried due to heavy deposits of silt and wastes. The river has now turned into a jungle with shrubs and wild plants coming up on the connecting water route. The development has deprived over 5,000 farmlands of irrigation facilities and hit the cultivation of at least three varieties of crops. Angry locals had filed a case against the state Water Resources Department three years back. The NALSA court heard the matter and directed the state Water Resources department to resolve the problem.
However, despite the court order, the department has been silent on the issue and has yet to take any steps in this regard. Petitioners Prafulla Kumar Das, Khirod Mallick, Ashok Bal, and Debashis Panda said the economy of Kendrapara district is based on agriculture as it lacks industries. However, the government is not resolving the irrigation problem which is hindering the progress of the district. Earlier, the Gobari River was connected with Brahmani which also flows through the district. This was helping in maritime trade and helping the farmers by irrigating their farmlands. However, things changed after the connecting route between the two rivers was closed down at Pattamundai during the construction of Cuttack-Chandbali road in 1960.
As a result, the 20-km water route from Pattamundai to Gandakia has become dry. With the riverbed going dry, the residents have been deprived of its water which they were using for daily chores and irrigation of their farmlands. In the past, farmers in the region used to produce cash crops, but now they are facing droughts due to a lack of irrigation facilities. Fed up, the residents drew the attention of block and district-level officials and even staged demonstrations outside the district collectorate. However, after failing to get any success, they filed a petition before the National Legal Services Authority (NALSA) demanding the reconnection of Gobari river with the Brahmani river, February 14, 2021. Directed by NALSA, the district legal services authority (DLSA) heard the matter and directed the state Water Resources department to conduct an inquiry and take suitable action in this regard.
However, the state Water Resources department has yet to show any promptitude in conducting an inquiry and taking action in this regard. The residents and farmers hope that the revival of the water route between the two rivers will help in the cultivation and harvest of three types of cash crops. When contacted executive engineer Umesh Chandra Sethy said a preliminary inquiry has been conducted while admitting that connecting the two rivers will help in the development of agriculture in the riparian areas. He assured us to take action in this regard keeping the interests of farmers in mind.