River-linking mooted to overcome water crisis

BHUBANESWAR: The State Government has proposed linking the river Rushikulya with the Bansadhara through the Nandini Canal Project to overcome drinking water problem in the areas of the Ganjam district affected by drought frequently. Official sources said the State Government is in touch with the National Water Development Agency (NWDA) for preparation of a pre-feasibility report on the project. This is now at a preliminary stage and details can be known only after the report is completed.  The State Government had earlier proposed to link the Rushikulya and the Bansadhara rivers by constructing a dam near Minajhola in Rayagada district over Bansadhara to tackle regular drought in Ganjam district.  The pre-feasibility report on the project was submitted to the Central Water Commission (CWC) in July 2005 for its approval. But the project idea was dropped after the CWC maintained that it was not feasible.  Agitations by locals were also held  demanding linking of rivers to address their drinking water problem. People from Ganjam and Gajapati districts took out padayatras many times demanding linking of the two rivers.Rushikulya Banchao Manch, a front led by former deputy speaker Rama Chandra Panda, takes the lead in organising stirs. Representing the plight of the farmers of Ganjam and Gajapati districts, who are facing severe water scarcity, the locals have sought linking of rivers like the Bansadhara and the Mahendra Tanaya, the Mahanadi and the Rushikulya and Rushikulya link project.  The Rushikulya river is the lifeline of Ganjam district and its entire population depends on it for domestic and farming purposes. In the last three decades, the two rivers _ the Bansadhara and the Rushikulya _ are fast drying up because of erratic rainfall, high sedimentation and environmental flow loss besides green cover depletion.  But successive governments have failed to construct low-height dams at different parts of the rivers and their tributaries to save the run off which could have prevented depletion of groundwater. Besides, the major towns of Ganjam such as Berhampur, Aska, Kabisuryanagar, Sorada, Hinjli, Purushottampur, Chhatrapur and Ganjam depend on the Rushikulya for domestic water needs.  Berhampur City alone needs 50 million litre water per day but the supply is just about 35 million litre and with the demand-supply gap widening, pressure on the depleting groundwater is high.