Keonjhar: With the arrival of summer, Kanjhari irrigation dam under Sadar block of Keonjhar district has started drying up for various reasons.
Water of River Kanjhari has stopped entering into the dam.
According to a source, most significant reason is the drying up of Kanjhari riverbed owing to lack of adequate rainfall in the region.
The Kanjhari dam is a place of attraction for tourists. It also provides livelihood to hundreds of local residents as well.
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Avian guests thong the irrigation dam area in large numbers. Wild animals coming to the dam from nearby forests for drinking water fascinate the visitors coming here from and outside the district.
Apart from the above, it also irrigates the nearby farmlands and provides drinking water to Keonjhar town. Hundreds of local fishermen eke out their living from fishing activities, a resident villager said.
The Kanjhari dam has been getting soil-casted gradually over the last one year. As a result, the water retaining capacity of its reservoir has drastically gone down.
Its reservoir badly needs to be renovated, a local environmentalist Bimbadhar Behera opined.
PNN