Rs 5,658 cr strategy for flood control in Orissa

The Orissa government has mooted proposals worth Rs 5,658 crore including construction of at least 35 reservoirs on major river systems as a permanent measure to tackle recurring floods, official sources said.

Though floods in Orissa were now being managed through eight major and 38 medium reservoirs, they were not enough.

"While construction of 18 reservoirs is presently on, the government has planned 17 such projects", the sources said.

Projects on the Mahanadi river system, the state's biggest, were under construction at various sites over the Indra, Manjore, Ret, Titlagarh and Suktel rivers.

Plans were afoot to construct reservoirs in the lower catchment of the massive Hirakud dam over the Ong, Tel, Uttei, Brutang, Lanth, Barmul, Roul, Dhauragoth, Salki and Khadago.

"The floods could easily be tamed in the Mahanadi system when these projects are completed", the sources said.        

The state government's two proposals — Mahanadi basin development plan and Subarnarekha Sanskar Project — worth Rs 3,555.4 crore and Rs 970 crore respectively, were pending for approval of the Central Water Commission (CWC), they said.

A drainage master plan proposal including excavation of river mouths and bed worth Rs 865.40 crore was also pending with the CWC. Without waiting for sanction from the Centre, the state government had started excavation of certain river mouths and beds, the sources said adding Rs 148.53 crore had already been spent under the drainage sub-plan.

This apart, work for excavation of river bed and construction of embankment of river Salandi under the Rs 99.14 crore Salandi Sanskar Yojana was also being implemented.

A senior official said a project was under implementation at Kanpur in Keonjhar district over Baitarani river, while another project was being implemented at Deo over the same river.

A multi-purpose project over the Bairatani at Balijore and a water project at Khairibandhan were also in the pipeline, sources said adding that floods in the Baitarani could be contained after completion of these projects.

While a multi-purpose inter-state project over river Subarnarekha had been completed, another was planned at Ichha in Jharkhand. These two projects could control floods in the Subarnarekha system, they said.

In another step aimed at preparing a permanent measure to tackle floods, the government has planned to implement a Rs 150 crore World Bank funded project for construction and strengthening of saline embankments.

Similarly, a Rs 18.05 crore project at Pentha in Kendrapara district is also planned to check coastal erosion.