Kendrapara: Frequent ingress of tidal waves in seaside villages of this district is posing serious threats to the lives and properties of the residents. These waves are destroying farmlands and are also harming buildings and roads, locals informed Thursday. They stated that unless the embankments are strengthened the waves will cause major damages in future. The threat of tidal waves extends from Talachua panchayat in Rajnagar block to Batighar panchayat of Mahakalapada block. Locals said that the tidal waves have assumed threatening proportions and are affecting cultivation, the main source of income for people in this district.
The situation is the same for Gajaria, Utikana, Keradagada, Padmanavapur, Gopalpur, Rajgarh, Gadadharpur and Baragaon areas. Locals said that the tidal waves may destroy the geo-tube wall built at Pentha coast under Mahakalapada sub-division. They informed us that sometimes the waves rise 40 metres above the embankments and surge into the villages. Similarly, the embankments of Brahmani, Kharasrota, Gobari and Hansua rivers are also affected by the saline water of tidal waves, they added. Residents of some of the areas informed that on the last full moon day, the Patasala river swelled up and overflowed due to tidal waves. In the process, various varieties of crops were destroyed as the water flowed into farmlands. Locals informed that the Odisha government set up an office of the Coastal Embankment department at Aul in 2004.
The reason behind setting up of the office was to protect the 744.47 km-long coastal embankment spread along Aul, Rajkanika, Rajnagar and Mahakalapada blocks in the district. A joint administrative survey was conducted to assess the threats due to natural calamities and their impact on human habitats in these areas, April 2022. The district collector, concerned departmental officials, tehsildars and the BDOs of the areas were in the survey team. It then prepared a report. However, the findings have remained as a report only as nothing has been done to strengthen the coastline. The report also indicates that the officials of the district administration were aware of the problems that could develop due to weak embankments.
Sources said that nothing has been done due to the apathy of officials. They alleged that many of these officials are hand-in gloves with contractors. The funds sanctioned for various projects have been used to for self-gratification, the sources added.
Locals Basant Kumar Hati from Rajnagar, Subhashis Sarangi of Rajkanika, Sunil Kumar Gantayat from Mahakalapada, environmentalists Hemant Kumar Rout and Radhakant Mohanty said that the office of the Coastal Embankment division has been functioning in Aul since October, 2004. The office is responsible for maintaining the 111.53kmlong coastal embankment in Aul sub-division, 237.62km embankment in Mahakalapada, 302.12km embankment in Rajnagar and 93.20km embankment in Rajkanika sub-divisions. When contacted, Subrat Das, superintendent engineer of the Coastal Embankment division said that tidal waves have become a threat due to climate change. He said that various projects have been undertaken to increase the heights of the embankments by four to six metres.