CHANGING COURSE OF RIVER SUBARNAREKHA IN ORISSA
RAJYA SABHA
As informed by the
Government of Orissa, the river Subarnarekha changes its course
occasionally and during the last highest flood of 1997, the river
Subarnarekha changed its course at Ekadapal scouring about 200
meters towards the habitation. The river course near Dahamunda
village has the tendency of changing its course.
The Government of
India constituted a Committee in the year 1972 under the Chairmanship
of Shri J. Tripathi, Member (Floods), Central Water Commission
which submitted its report in 1973 suggesting therein to tackle
the problem in a comprehensive manner, with storage reservoirs
in the upper reaches in Bihar and flood embankments in the lower
reaches in Orissa and West Bengal. In 1978, the Chief Ministers
of Bihar, West Bengal and Orissa reached a tripartite agreement
regarding sharing of the water resources of Subarnarekha basin.
In the agreement a flood storage of 0.375 million acre feet was
allocated in Chandil dam reservoir in Bihar for flood moderation
benefits in West Bengal and Orissa.
In this regard, the
State Government has informed that the State Technical Advisory
Committee has also approved 13 nos. of bank protection works with
estimated cost of Rs. 736.59 lakh.
As informed by the
State Government, every year the embankments of the river Subarnarekha
are being protected and strengthened before the flood season at
the vulnerable points by the State Government in order to save
the life and property of the villagers adjacent to river.
This information
was given by the Union Minister of State for Water Resources,
Smt. Bijoya Chakravarty in a written reply to a question from
Shri B. J. Panda and Ms. Pramila Bohidar in the Rajya Sabha today.
