Kendrapada villagers live in fear as river inches closer home
Kendrapada: The lives of the people living in riverside villages in Kendrapada’s Rajkanika block are at stake with the Baitarani river eating into large tracts of land over the decades, particularly during the rainy season.
“During every election, politicians promise us a stone-packed river embankment but forget about it once the hustings are over,” said Ashok Mallick, a resident of Bania.
Baidyanath Behera, a farmer of Bandhamala village, said in the last 4 to 5 years, the river has devoured nearly two acres of agricultural land. “If corrective steps are not taken now, the entire village will vanish in a decade,” he said.
The river has consumed large tracts of land in Jayakunda, Bajapur, Bania, Pandorokoli, Jhadamala, Katana, Bramashsani, Jhadamala, Bandhamala, Baradia and Upulei villages in the past three decades, leading to displacement of people.
“Twenty years ago, the river was far away but now it is just few yards from my house. We have lost our farmland and more than 200 people have lost their homes. In 2010, the river devoured the Tarini temple and 15 years ago, the village school was gobbled up by the river,” said Harish Chandra Samal of Jayakund village.
As recently as last month, the river flooded a hut in Bandhamala village. “I have lost two acres of land in the last 20 years. Last month, my hut started shaking at night. We rushed out in fear. In the morning, we found the remains of our thatched house in the river,” said Banamali Das of Bandhamala.
In the last 30 years, Jagannath Behera (70) of Baradia has shifted houses four times to save himself from the marching river. But two months back, Jagannath was forced to leave his ancestral village after the river devoured his house.
“I am forced to live with my daughter, whose husband is away working in Gujarat, after I lost my land and house to the Baitarani,” said Sabita Behera (70) of Jayakunda village. Baitarani is closing in on Katana gram panchayat but little is being done to contain it.
“Ten years ago, the authorities stone-packed some river embankments but soon the stones were washed away due to poor quality of work,” said Nirakar Sethi, the sarpanch of Katana gram panchayat.
Admitting to the problem, additional district magistrate (Kendrapada) Basant Kumar Rout, said the authorities have completed stone-packing to protect some of the riverside villages. “The administration will soon repair all the river embankments,” he added.