Subarnarekha eats into villages

BALASORE: With the first spell of the monsoon rain, the residents of five villages, residing along the banks of the Subarnarekha river, are feeling threatened. The river passes through Bhogarai, Jaleswar and Baliapal blocks. The river has already devoured more than 40 per cent of the total land and the villagers fear if measures are not taken it will pose threat to their lives and property in case of floods. Badakhanpur and Sanakhanpur villages in Baliapal block are the worst hit. While the river has swallowed up about 75 per cent of the villages, over 2,000 residents have been shifted permanently to nearby safer places. There are just 50 families left in both the villages. The river is changing its course in most of the places, causing panic. While river banks are receding, parts of villages are fast disappearing with the river biting off chunks of land at an alarming rate on both sides. A local leader Sanjay Das said for the last 15 years Subarnarekha has been a serious threat for Bhogarai, Baliapal and Jaleswar blocks. “As its base where it meets the sea has been filled with sand, it has to change its course. Immediate attention is required for river excavation so that the floodwaters can recede smoothly without impacting the embankments,” he said.   He pointed out that though at some places its bank has been reinforced with boulders to prevent erosion, the river has started eating into in other areas.  In recent years, there has been a southward bend in the flow of river. In the process, the river has gobbled up many portions of the villages while exposing vast stretches of sand beds at some places on the northern side.Former Jaleswar MLA Jayanarayan Mohanty, who was the Assembly estimates committee chairman in 1998, said during his tenure he had studied the phenomenon and proposed various protective measures for the river erosion. He, however, lamented that nothing has been done so far.  “The committee had suggested stone packing on both sides of Subarnarekha, dredging of its mouth, construction of 80 spurs and a reservoir at Dharmadwar in Baliapal. But barring some spurs and stone packing nothing has happened yet,” he alleged. Meanwhile, the villagers have urged the district administration to initiate permanent measures to protect them from the Subarnarekha river. ADM Sribatsa Jena said the irrigation officials had been asked to prepare a detailed report and work proposal for remedial measures.

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