For the first time, all four MLAs of Jagatsinghpur district got united in a single platform on Thursday and raised a vital public issue pertaining to the management of Mahanadi water and its proper distribution across the district. They appealed to Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik to build a barrage across the river at Santara near Paradip.
The MLAs wants diversion of Mahanadi water for useful purposes such as irrigation, industry, tourism, river transport, drinking water, flood management and storage of surplus water downstream.
The proposed barrage is estimated to cost Rs 560 crore. It would benefit the people of Biridi, Raghunathpur, Balikuda, Erasama, Jagatsinghpur, Tirtol and Kujang blocks in Jagatsinghpur district and Mahakalpada, Derabis, Gardapur, Nischintakoili and Salipur blocks in Kendrapada district, the MLAs’ petition to the CM stated.
The legislators point out that lakhs of cusecs of water flowing from the Mahanadi and its tributaries are discharged to sea as there is no barrage from Cuttack to Paradip for water storage, control and distribution.
Jagatsinghpur district’s economy is important for the State for industry and agriculture. Paradip is known as an industrial hub and agriculture is the hereditary profession for people. Water is a vital component for both industry and agriculture. Even though two major canals, Taladanda and Machhagaon, are flowing in the district, it is not sufficient to meet the irrigation requirement.
Industries in Paradeep are depending on water from the Taladanda Canal. Even the IOCL oil refinery is bringing water from Cuttack making its own independent arrangements. Lakhs of cusecs of Mahanadi water is perennially going waste by flowing into sea.
Building a barrage and diversion of Mahanadi water for useful purposes had been first raised by late environmentalist Sankhanada Behera and late Kaibarta leader Govinda Tarai seven years ago. They had urged for a barrage across the Mahanadi at Bhutamundei near Paradip and apprised the Prime Minister, the Chief Minister and the Central Water Resources Ministry.
Based on both leaders’ demand, a Central team and State Water Resources Department engineers had visited the proposed barrage site several times but were of the opinion that building a new barrage over the Mahanadi near Paradip is technically unfeasible. The present demand by the MLAs for building a barrage at Santara is stated to renew the old one with a new location.
On a flip side of the issue, residents living in Zillanasi panchayat, villagers from Bhandua under Kujang block and people living in the Paika delta area near Rahama are opposing the proposed barrage at Santara.
Zillanasi panchayat, an island of Kujang block, is likely to be submerged and a few villages located on the Mahanadi and Paika river brinks would be inundated. So, residents living these locations have opposed a barrage at Santara, informed former Zillanasi Sarpanch Tapan Samantray.