 |
| Seawater has entered this farmland in Kendrapara. Telegraph picture |
Bhubaneswar, Aug. 6: The sea has been eating into the landmass at several coastal districts of the state triggering all-round concern.
Kendrapara and Puri are among the worst affected by the phenomenon, which seeks to be explained in terms of global warming and tectonic movements.
Apart from human habitations, the advancing sea has also been threatening agriculture in parts of these districts with water overtopping saline embankments and flooding farmland.
Thousands of acres of land in Rajanagar block of Kendrapara and Astarang block of Puri district have been affected.
In the Astarang area, the affected villagers have been trying to contain the damage by putting sand bags on the embankments, but that at best is a temporary measure. Sources said that seawater had also been entering villages such as Gabakunda and Mirzapur on the shores of Chilika ever since a new mouth of the lake opened in 2008.
The bigger threat, however, is to human habitations in villages such as Pentha in Kendrapara district where a geo-tube wall is supposed to be built for the protection of people under a central project. Although, chief minister Naveen Patnaik laid foundation for the wall in 2008 long back, work on the project is yet to commence.
Official sources, however, said that work at Pentha was likely to begin soon with most of the hurdles in its way having been cleared. Made of high-grade rexin and filled with sand, these tubes are capable of fighting the sea. The wall at the village will be 7.4 metres high to ward off tidal surges.
Former environment director, Odisha, Bhagirathi Behera said it was unfortunate that the project at Pentha was yet to take off as it could be a model for similar experiments at other places facing erosion threat.
“Things should be hastened up as this is a problem common to many other districts in the state,” said Behera, who blamed tectonic movements and global warming for the changing behaviour of the sea.
“The wave force has increased many times over because of these factors making the sea increasingly rough,” he added.
The phenomenon of coastal erosion is also visible at Konark in Puri and parts of Ganjam district.