Erosion-hit Mahanadi riverbank in Paradip. Telegraph picture

Paradip, July 20: The turbulent Mahanadi river threatens to wipe out a pre-Independence period agriculture farm near the port town.

The farm dating back to British Raj, which was once spread over 33 acre, has now been decimated to 15 acre expanse as the river has gobbled up large tract of the government-run farming research centre.

The sprawling farm has been reduced to a poor shadow of its past. The river is steadily crawling towards the farm at Kujang.

Its topography has got badly truncated with the steady march of the Mahanadi. Landslides and erosion of the farm situation on the riverbank has endangered the very existence of the agriculture research hub.

Spurt in construction of river bridges, unabated sand quarrying activities and illegal brick kiln operations along the major river banks have all contributed to topographical change and erosion of a number of human settlements in the river-locked district.

“The farm had come up to promote agriculture in 1928. After Independence, it was taken up by the state government. Coconut plantation and rice farming is being done here with latest agriculture technology. The farmers of nearby areas have been reaping benefits from the farm in form of technical knowhow to improve productivity,” said Jagatsinghpur district agriculture officer Nilamani Das.

However, nature has played cruel joke on the centre with the advancing of the river. The trend of erosion has set in since 1982 when a flood had devastated the coast.

“Since then, the river has changed course marching towards the farm. We have watched helplessly as erosion has wrought havoc. The trend has become more pronounced in the past two to three years,” he said.

“We have chalked out a plan to arrest river erosion in Kujang near Paradip with special emphasis to protect the agriculture farm and nearby Balarampur village, which faces threat because of landslides. The project will get under way in near future,” said executive engineer of Mahanadi south division, Subrat Dash.