Kendrapara Faces Water Crisis as Gobari Canal Renovation Slows Down | Bhubaneswar News
Kendrapada: State govt’s plan to renovate the 25-km-long Gobari canal from Kendrapada town to Gandakhia in the district, at an estimated cost of Rs 26 crore, is progressing slowly. Consequently, numerous villages in the region are facing a severe water crisis. The renovation will be completed by 2025 and the canal will regain its lost ecology, said a senior official of the irrigation department.
In 2021, state govt allocated Rs 26 crore under the Canal Lining and System Rehabilitation Programme (CLSRP) to the irrigation division of water resources department, Kendrapada, with a target to complete the renovation within two years. However, the project remains incomplete. Social worker Niladri Tripathy alleged that in some sections, contractors are not dredging the canal bed properly.
When contacted, Umesh Sethi, executive engineer of the irrigation division, Kendrapada, said, “We are renovating (the canal) in two phases. During the first phase, we started work along a 10-km stretch of the river last year. During the second phase, we will cover another 15 km. We are cleaning, dredging and also working on protecting the banks. We are also constructing guard walls.”
He said the canal is now covered with weed and has turned into a nullah as a result of being neglected for long. “The banks of the canal would also be built with concrete guard walls to prevent the ingress of effluents and sewage into the water. Apart from the construction of retaining walls, concrete bed linings would also be provided along the canal. It will recover its lost ecology after renovation is completed in 2025. Fishermen and farmers of the villages along the canal will benefit once the renovation is complete,” Sethi said.
Locals said years of administrative laxity have left the canal synonymous with decay, stench and drainage issues. Residents have been campaigning for over three decades, demanding the canal’s renovation.
Nagendra Jena, a resident of Kansar village, alleged that some individuals living near the canal have encroached on govt land to build houses and even dump waste, further deteriorating its condition. “Waste and aquatic plants have stopped the flow of water, but officials have not yet removed the encroachers,” he said.
Inadequate water flow in the 25-km-long canal is severely affecting agriculture. This has also affected around 50 villages along the riverside and Kendrapada town, home to nearly 3 lakh people. Farmers are among the worst affected, struggling to maintain irrigation activities due to insufficient water supply. Additionally, the region’s water-based biodiversity, including fisheries, has been affected as the canal dries up gradually.
Tapan Pati, former professor of history of Kendrapada Autonomous College, highlighted the canal’s historical significance. “Millions of people perished in the drought of 1866 in Odisha due to lack of communication and non-availability of water to irrigate the land. Hence, the canal was dug in 1868 for the purpose of irrigation and navigation,” he said.
“Canals, which are equipped with a complicated lock system, were used for transportation in the past. Provisions were transported from Cuttack to Kendrapada. With improvements in road transport, boats have gradually vanished. Canals impact the lives of the people of Kendrapada in many ways,” said Pati.
In 2021, state govt allocated Rs 26 crore under the Canal Lining and System Rehabilitation Programme (CLSRP) to the irrigation division of water resources department, Kendrapada, with a target to complete the renovation within two years. However, the project remains incomplete. Social worker Niladri Tripathy alleged that in some sections, contractors are not dredging the canal bed properly.
When contacted, Umesh Sethi, executive engineer of the irrigation division, Kendrapada, said, “We are renovating (the canal) in two phases. During the first phase, we started work along a 10-km stretch of the river last year. During the second phase, we will cover another 15 km. We are cleaning, dredging and also working on protecting the banks. We are also constructing guard walls.”
He said the canal is now covered with weed and has turned into a nullah as a result of being neglected for long. “The banks of the canal would also be built with concrete guard walls to prevent the ingress of effluents and sewage into the water. Apart from the construction of retaining walls, concrete bed linings would also be provided along the canal. It will recover its lost ecology after renovation is completed in 2025. Fishermen and farmers of the villages along the canal will benefit once the renovation is complete,” Sethi said.
Locals said years of administrative laxity have left the canal synonymous with decay, stench and drainage issues. Residents have been campaigning for over three decades, demanding the canal’s renovation.
Nagendra Jena, a resident of Kansar village, alleged that some individuals living near the canal have encroached on govt land to build houses and even dump waste, further deteriorating its condition. “Waste and aquatic plants have stopped the flow of water, but officials have not yet removed the encroachers,” he said.
Inadequate water flow in the 25-km-long canal is severely affecting agriculture. This has also affected around 50 villages along the riverside and Kendrapada town, home to nearly 3 lakh people. Farmers are among the worst affected, struggling to maintain irrigation activities due to insufficient water supply. Additionally, the region’s water-based biodiversity, including fisheries, has been affected as the canal dries up gradually.
Tapan Pati, former professor of history of Kendrapada Autonomous College, highlighted the canal’s historical significance. “Millions of people perished in the drought of 1866 in Odisha due to lack of communication and non-availability of water to irrigate the land. Hence, the canal was dug in 1868 for the purpose of irrigation and navigation,” he said.
“Canals, which are equipped with a complicated lock system, were used for transportation in the past. Provisions were transported from Cuttack to Kendrapada. With improvements in road transport, boats have gradually vanished. Canals impact the lives of the people of Kendrapada in many ways,” said Pati.
