At a time when Mahanadi river issue has rocked the State, residents of Sundargarh are panicked following a news that the Chhattisgarh Government will construct a barrage on the Ib river.
The IB river is the lifeline of Sundergarh and Jharsuguda and any barrage on the river upstream will cause drinking water and irrigation problem in the two districts.
Sources said Chhattisgarh plans to construct a barrage on the IB river at Kacheibira under Sumduma panchayat in Chhattisgarh, about 30 km away from Sundargarh border. Chhattisgarh has already invited tender for construction of the barrage.
According to sources, if the barrage is constructed there, the farmers in Chhatisgarh will get enough water for cultivation, while the residents and farmers of Sundargarh and Jharsuguda will face water crisis. The proposed barrage on the Ib river will affect more than 118 villages in Sundargarh district alone.
Recently, an inspection team headed by Assistant Engineer of Sundargarh Irrigation Division Damodar Dehuria went to Kacheibira and inspected the proposed site for construction of barrage.
The Ib river starting from Kunkuri at Chhatisgarh passes through Sundargarh and joins with Bheden river at lakhanpur under Jharsuguda district before falling in to the Hirakud reservoir.
The 70- km Ib river, starting from upper portion of Telijore in Sundargarh to lower part of Bhasma in Sundargarh, has been providing drinking water to Sundargarh town and water for cultivation in the district. But the Odisha Government has not yet constructed any barrage on the Ib river.
According to sources, an Irrigation project worth about Rs1,700 crore is proposed to come up at Telijore under Balishankara block in Sundargarh.
“Our investigation team did not find any sign of barrage construction,” said Executive Engineer, Sundargarh Irrigation Division S Pradhan. However, he added, “We are further investigating the matter.”
Meanwhile, the district Congress unit has called a Sundargarh Bandh on August 11 with the slogan ‘save Ib river’.