Chorus grows for linking rivers in Kendrapara dist

With the state government emphasising interstate river-linking projects, voices are growing louder for similar initiatives within Kendrapara district.

- POST NEWS NETWORK

Local intelligentsia, social activists and political leaders have urged authorities to include the district in the state’s broader river-linking roadmap.

The issue assumes significance as the coastline of Kendrapara district covers 48 km stretching from Dhamra sea mouth in neighbouring Bhadrak district to Batighar in the district. Moreover, with nine rivers and 27 creeks and canals flowing through the district, it is vulnerable to natural calamities like floods.

The government has preliminarily proposed six major river-linking projects over the next five years at an estimated cost of ₹1,800 crore. These include the Katara-Subarnarekha canal link, Hiradharbati barrage-Chilika lake connection, Bahuda-Rushikulya basin linkage, Vamsadhara-Rushikulya linkage, Telengiri-Upper Kolab connection, and the Anga-Suktel garland project. The goal is to address potable water scarcity and irrigation issues in the drought-prone areas of the respective regions.