Villagers' plea to revive river in Kendrapada dist

KENDRAPADA: People living in villages along the banks of the Chitrotpala river in Kendrapada district have urged the government to dredge the river to help local farmers and protect the environment.

Several people congregated on the premises of Rameswar Temple in riverside Dhasanapari village recently and gave a call to save Chitrotpala.

"Due to administrative laxity over the years, the river causes flooding during monsoon because of heavy sedimentation. Deposition of sand has stopped the flow of water. But the officials are yet to dredge the river," said environmentalist Baba Hansanath Sahoo.

"Lack of water flow in the river is gradually destroying the agriculture and environment of around 60 riverside villages which have a population of around 1.5 lakh. Fish are also dying and adjacent canals are drying up. Due to blocking of the flow of water at many places, the river is virtually dead," said Bhagawan Jena of Dhasanapari.

"Heavy deposition of sand on the river bed is the main reason behind the slow release of floodwater. For years, desilting has not taken place. There has been around 3 m increase in the river bed near Nemalo in Cuttack district, where it has diverged, resulting in the origin of the Luna river. There have been many suggestions and recommendations from experts on river rejuvenation. The government must take those into consideration," said Ramesh Tripathy, former engineer in-chief, water resources department.

Umesh Sethi, executive engineer (irrigation), Kendrapada, said, "The authorities will dredge the river bed after getting funds from the government."


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