The residents living in villages in the deltaic region of Luna and Chitrotpala have stepped up their demand for rejuvenation of the Chitrotpala river contending that it is urgently required to keep the local ecology in good health.
The river, considered highly auspicious and believed to be older than the Ganga, has inadequate water flow as its bed near Nemalo in Cuttack district has witnessed a rise in the sand level.
“The river has witnessed around three metres of sand rise at its bed near Nemalo in Cuttack district where it has bifurcated, resulting in the origin of the Luna river. There have been many suggestions and recommendations from experts on rejuvenation of the river. The Government must take these opinions into consideration to revive the river,” said Ramesh Tripathy, former Engineer-in-Chief of Water Resources Department.
On January 8, people from various walks of life under the banner of Namami Chitrotpala congregated at the Rameswar Temple premises in Sana Adhanga gram pachayat’s Dhasanapari village and gave a call for “Chitrotpala Banchao”.
The meeting convened by Chittaranjan Sahoo was attended by noted environmentalist Baba Hansanath Sahoo, Mahanadi Drainage Division Additional Chief Engineer Santosh Kumar Swain, Prachi River Samiti member Ashwini Mohapatra, senior journalist Akshaya Kumar Sahoo, Nayan Ballav Mohapatra, Bhagaban Jena, Santosh Jena, Ashok Jena, Nalini Prabha Jena, Gobinda Behera, Chanchala Sahoo, Rakesh Ranjan Mahali, Sachidananda Mishra, Kalandi Charan Sahoo, Rabinarayn Prusty and Pradipta Mishra.
The speakers, apart from the ecological value of the river, highlighted the religious background of the river as its economic importance. Lakhs of farmers in Cuttack and Kendrapada districts depend upon the river for irrigation requirements. Besides, fisher folk also eke out their living by fishing in the river.
“Chitrotpala is one of the ancient rivers and its name is mentioned in our scriptures. We need to maintain the purity and sanctity of the river,” Baba Hansanath Sahoo said.
It was decided that the Namami Chitrotpala members would meet senior officials of the Water Resources Department and press for a concrete action plan to save the river from its imminent death. Another decision was also taken to form village-level communities for protection of the water body.
