A broken river embankment in Kendrapara district. Telegraph picture

Kendrapara, June 10: River embankments are lying vulnerable at 43 spots in this flood-prone district.

Funds crunch has led to an inordinate delay in the maintenance and repair work of these vulnerable patches, thereby posing flood threat to many thickly populated villages here. Apprehension of a flood looms large as the vulnerable and breach-prone embankments continue to remain unattended along the Mahanadi deltaic region.

This under-preparedness on part of water resources division and saline embankment division officials has put the local people in a spot of bother. The breach closure works and embankment repair works, which were damaged by a flood last September, are yet to be completed at many places. There is tardy progress of embankment repair work. The flood-control measures will not be completed by the June 15 deadline,” said NCP president Utkal Keshari Parida.

“The irrigation and saline embankment divisions in the district have been directed to complete the flood-control work within the stipulated deadline. Stringent disciplinary action would be initiated against departmental engineers for failing to do so,” said collector Pradipta Kishore Pattnaik.

Initially, there were reports of embankment repair and maintenance work getting delayed because of non-release of funds. But, the concerned departments are now flush with funds. They had been asked to prioritise the maintenance work, he added.

The vulnerable spots lying exposed to watery ingress are at Alava, Gogua, Chaudkulat, Basapur, Maharkula, Bilabalrampur, Dudhia, Kenalabandha, Manukanda, Manitri, Kalapada, Narendrapur, Biswanathpur, Talakusuma, Kalabuda, Haridaspur, Naindipur, Garadpur, Talasanga, Kuanrapala, Madana, Bedari along the Mahanadi and Brahmani deltaic region.

Executive engineer of irrigation division, Jatindra Kumar Das, however, said: “Breach closure work is nearing completion. Maintenance work of river embankment is also progressing on a war-footing. The department is monitoring the work on a daily basis,” he said.