Balangir: People of at least 30 villages, including the block headquarters town of Kantamal in Boudh district along the banks of Tel river, are a worried lot with the swollen river consistently eating up chunks of landmass over the years.

Sources said there had been some embankments at some places long back, but they are now in a dilapidated state and can't stand the fury of the river during rain. Tel is a perennial river.

Kuber Rana, a resident of Ghantapada village, said some embankment works had been done some 40 years ago, but the structures now virtually don't exist.

"The river is washing away the banks and the old embankment every year triggering panic among the villagers. No new work has been done in the recent past to address the issue," he said.

Kantamal MLA Mahidhar Rana assured the villagers that a project to address the issue was in the works.

"The people in the villages need not panic. A project is coming up in the form of ring road along the banks of the river that will extend till the stretch of Mahanadi. The ring road will have stone packing which will prevent the water to enter the villages," the MLA said.

Taking serious note on the issue, Boudh collector Madhusudan Mishra said the district administration had identified the vulnerable places along the banks of the river.

"We have identified all the vulnerable points alongside the river. However, the entire area needs to be guarded by an embankment. A protection wall will be immediately constructed and a proposal in this regard has already been sent to concerned department," the collector said.