Saline embankment work delayed, cyclone-affected villagers in Odisha unhappy 

PARADIP:  Counting their losses after cyclone Yaas, inhabitants of seaside villages in Paradip, Erasama and Balikuda have expressed discontent over the delay in completion of the ongoing surge protection wall and saline embankment, which led to tidal ingress in the coastal region.

Villagers said the project despite being implemented since the last nine years is yet to be completed. The coastal areas are vulnerable to natural disasters like tsunami and tidal ingress as Jagatsinghpur district is frequently hit by cyclonic storms. During these calamities, tidal waves enter the villages and cause widespread damage to crops and houses. 

The cyclone mitigation measures (CMM) were approved by the Central empowered and coordination committee as per the direction of the Supreme Court in 2012. The action plan of CMM was also prepared by the district administration which was later approved by the committee. As per the plan, `27 crore would be spent on erection of a surge protection wall and embankment from Paradip to Noliashai. It was later decided that the embankment will be extended to Astarang in Puri district.

Sources said in 2013, the administration started construction of the 15-km surge protection embankment from Paradip to Noliashai. However,  the construction work was stopped after completion of only 8 km from Paradip to Bose Callus point (near IOCL Refinery site). Besides, in this 8-km stretch, many portions of the surge protection wall were left incomplete causing breaches on the embankment.

Social activist of Dhinkia Arun Parida said as the embankment is incomplete, breaches occurred at Kansaripatana in cyclone Yaas as a result of which saline water entered thousands of acres of farmland.
Executive Engineer of Mahanadi South Irrigation Division Rajesh Mohanty admitted that construction of the saline embankment on 10-km stretch is yet to be completed. The department has submitted a detailed project report to the government in this regard. Construction work has been hampered at many locations due to environmental clearance issues, he added.