Villagers dig up road to divert floodwater

BALASORE: Stuck in floods since the last five days without any relief or assistance, angry residents of Sahabajipur on Monday dug up the Talasari-Udaypur marine drive road to drain out floodwater from their village into the sea. Comprising three wards, Udaypur village in Sahabajipur panchayat of Bhograi block has a population of 1,700. The Udaypur-Talasari beach is an important tourist destination of the region.

Srikant Pattayat, a villager, said, “All three wards of the village were under water since Thursday following heavy rains. With our ration stock and other essential items running out, we had no option but to dig up the marine drive road to divert the floodwater.” Around 150 villagers took part in creating the breach.The villagers said though they were aware that the administration built the road along the beach at a cost of `6 crore, they were forced to damage it as floodwater showed no signs of receding.

Kanhucharan Behera, another villager, said floods have become an annual affair for them. “Since the last 19 years, our village gets submerged during rainy season. Earlier, the excess water was drained out through a canal, situated at Datapur village in West Bengal, to the sea. However, the canal was closed in 1992 after the Fishery department of West Bengal Government set up prawn dykes,” he said.

The villagers blamed the local politicians for their recurring woes. “Construction of a canal is a long-standing demand of villagers. We have been approaching the previous MLAs and MPs of the area in this regard. Current MLA Ananta Das during a visit to the village three years back had assured us to ensure proper disposal of water from Udaypur. But so far, nothing has been done to address our problem,” rued Behera.

Besides, villagers have also brought the matter to the notice of the district administration several times in the past but to no avail.Junior engineer of the Irrigation department Prabir Behera said a proposal for construction of a sluice gate to dispose of water from Udaypur has been sent to the Government. Once the proposal is approved and the funds arrive, construction work will start, he added.

Meanwhile, though water level in major river systems of Balasore district has started receding, 40 villages in low-lying areas of Bhograi and Baliapal blocks are continue to remain flooded due to poor drainage system.