Tidal waves damage houses in Ganjam

BERHAMPUR:

Along with the rain, sea waves  have again posed threat to villages on the Ganjam district coast.During last two days, two coastal villages witnessed the fury of catabolic action of sea waves. Arjyapalli and Podempeta in Chatrapur block of the district are inhabited by fishermen.  On Monday night, around 20 houses were damaged in the high tides at Podempeta. At nearby Arjipalli, sea water entered a pond.The villagers said they are now living in a state of panic. They alleged that till now no measures had been initiated to check the threat from sea waves.In the past, the people of these two villages had also staged demonstrations demanding remedial measures to check sea erosion near their villages.  These villagers alleged that erosion of sea coast near their villages has increased due to increased construction activity for the Gopalpur port inside the sea. This intervention inside the sea has increased erosive action of sea waves near their villages, they said.  On Tuesday, they submitted a memorandum to the District Collector urging him to shift them to safer places.Kendrapara: Tidal waves struck Satabhaya and Pentha coast inundating parts of the highly vulnerable human settlements in Kendrapara district while exposing a strategic saline embankment to possible cave-in threat. Tidal waves spilled over the old embankment at Pentha coast on Monday with embankment developing minor cracks. Emergency repair work was underway to  cement the cracks.The embankment off Pentha will have geo-synthetic technology installation under the World Bank-funded Integrated Coastal Zone Management Programme (ICZMP).  Torrential rains accompanied by gust lashed the areas cutting it off from the rest of the district on Monday. The five-foot high waves spilled over the vulnerable shoreline and made inroads into Kanhupur village,  adjoining Satabhaya, inundating the 1,200-year-old Panchuvarahi shrine.“However, the situation improved on Tuesday as water receded through the natural discharge points. Steps were taken to send relief and assistance to the affected people. The Block Development Officer, Rajnagar, took stock of the situation,” Kendrapara Collector Pradipta Kishore Pattnaik said.The watery ingress posed no threat to Panchuvarahi shrine and all the people in these villages are safe, he added.These seaside villages are subject to constant sea erosion. While the sea has eaten up nearly two thirds of Kanhupur village, adjoining Satabhaya is equally hit by erosion.  Of the cluster of seven hamlets that thrived during the 70s, sea erosion has already consumed five villages.