The mega water supply scheme meant for 55 villages of Ganjam block and 92 villages of Krushna Prasad block in Chilika at an estimated cost of Rs 203.46 crore for which Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik recently laid foundation has come under scanner.
As per the scheme, the water would be drawn from an intake well to be dug near Siribana of Ganjam block by constructing some intake wells.
However, the moot question that remains to be answered is the sustainability of the project as the proposed place is vulnerable to saline contamination since the location is hardly 2 km from the Rushikulya mouth with sea which is under the influence of high tide.
Experts are of the view that even heavily drawn water from the underground intake wells may lead to salinity.
Notably, very recently some people raised voice that half km above the upstream of the present project site, there is a large water body called ‘Kansariganda’ which is a natural water body located between two hills, which can be utilised to create a localised storage or reservoir to feed the underground source as well as to tap the surplus water to meet the drinking water needs of the region. However, this may require the construction of a small check-dam on the river course (near Kansariganda) in order to improve the storage capacity of the present water body, feel the experts. This will also strengthen the three existing collector wells located on the southern bank of river Rushikulya which is hardly 500 meter from Kansariganda.
It may be recalled that the three collector wells were constructed in 1975 and were designed to provide 50 MLD of water per day. But they are now providing hardly 20 MLD of water per day only during 6 months of a year due to dry condition of the river belt. The check-dam that may be constructed on the downstream of the present project eventually can be used as a ‘foot-over bridge’ for the local public to travel from one side of the river to the other, say experts.
However, this may require cutting of the foot hills of the famous water body Kansariganda and constructing walls on the river belt in order to widen the area as well as for the safety of the water body, sources claimed. According to an estimate, construction of a check dam could also facilitate both Rabi and Kharif crops in 10,000 hectares.