The constant rainfall has raised the flood threat for the flood-prone areas in Odisha. The Colossal erosion along Mahanadi River under Niashcintakoili block of Cuttack district has setoff flood fear among the villagers.
Recently around 200 feet of natural floodplain has been disintegrated in the flood water current. Even the river is also changing its course in the last few years.
According to the locals, the rampant of sand mining along the riverbank is the main reason behind the severe erosion in the area to which many trees have been washed away. The excess sand lifting has appeared in changing the course of the river and damaging the natural floodplain.
Even though their five-year term lease agreements ceased in March, the sand mafia proceeded to operate the Balighat in the area with dispensation with the support of local political leaders and revenue officials.
To which the district authorities have started packing sandbags along the riverbank as a substitute to undertake any possible flood warning in the ongoing monsoon season. But the villagers are now afraid of the possibility of the flood and want a permanent solution for this.
Even if the villagers stopped the sand mining, they have been digging by deploying heavy machine. The excessive corrosion can lead to the destruction of the farmland, and the people who are living there can lose their houses due to underwater.
Mahendra Kumar Sahoo, the Assistant Engineer of Department of Water Resources, said that the sandbags are being filled as a temporary solution to protect the riverbank erosion. And soon the Government will take a permanent action in October after the monsoon withdraws.
Article Written by Dikhya Mohanty
Image Source: Google
