Following a nod of the State Cabinet, the Water Resources Department has notified a scheme called “Cyclone-Resilient Saline Embankment Projects.”
The scheme will be executed during the period from the Financial Year from 2022-23 to 2024-25 with an outlay of Rs 763.48 crore.
The objective of the scheme is to raise and strengthen the saline embankments to sustain the impact of severe cyclones in order to protect the adjacent landmass and habitation from flood, saline ingress and tidal surge of Bay of Bengal in four coastal districts such as Baleswar, Bhadrak, Kendrapada and Puri.
It will help to withstand cyclonic storms of higher magnitude such as high wind speed and sea storm surges; mitigate floods by keeping flood waters within channel boundary and protect public infrastructure like school, hospital, anganwadi centre, utilities like electricity and road communication from extreme storm during cyclone.
The projects would also protect nearby habitation and agricultural land from saline ingress. They will also help in early restoration of all forms of economic activities in the region after the cyclonic event.
The State Government has planned for raising and strengthening of 36 saline embankments measuring total length of 198.81 km to cyclone resilient standard to sustain the impact of very severe cyclone with speeds up to 250 km/hr and to protect the adjacent landmass and habitation from floods, saline ingress and tidal surge of sea. According to sources, upon completion of the projects, about 21,690 hectares of agricultural land will be protected from flood and saline ingress and 2,92,500 people in 136 villages in the four districts will
be benefitted. Due to raising and strengthening of embankments, road communication, scope for fishing and eco-tourism will be improved, the officials said.
The Water Resources Department has planned to make an expenditure of Rs 290.60 crore during the current year while Rs 305.96 crore has been provisioned for 2023-24, Rs 166.92 crore for 2024-25 and Rs 763.48 crore for 2025-26.
The department has also notified the scheme–“Community Harnessing and Harvesting Rainwater Artificially from Terrace to Aquifer (CHHATA)” for conservation of rainwater.
The scheme will be implemented in 29,500 private buildings and 1,925 Government buildings covering water-stressed 52 blocks and 27 urban local bodies (ULBs) of the State for a period of five financial years from 2022-23 to 2026-27 with a budget outlay of Rs 270 crore. A target is set to harvest 373.52 crores litres of water roughly on completion of the scheme.