Paradip: The View Tower and the Manmad Park near Nehru Bungalow here are the two most popular tourist spots in this port town. However, rapid coastal erosion taking place on Mahanadi river mouth for the last year is posing a severe threat to these places. The stretch of land from the stone embankment of Mahanadi to the fishing jetty is getting constantly eroded and the sea has gobbled up more than 100 acres of land in the last year. The erosion has also uprooted and washed away more than 100 trees which has hastened erosion. The erosion of the river bank increases when the sea turns rough and during cyclonic storms and floods. It is now being apprehended that the View Tower may collapse at any time due to erosion. One sizeable portion of the tower and its toilet area has been washed away by the sea.
Sources said that the View Tower was built by the Paradip port authority in 1992. Woman self-help group ‘Swarnamayee SHG’ is looking after maintenance and other aspects of the tower. The SHG members provide necessary facilities to tourists. The tourists visit the View Tower to see the place where the river merges with the sea. However, now with the tower facing threat due to erosion, tourists are not being allowed to go to the top, SHG member Purabi Mandal informed. Manmad park comprises an attractive and colourful garden with drinking water facilities for tourists. The Paradip Municipality authorities had built an open-air gymnasium inside the park for both adults and kids. The park also had areas earmarked for walkers and joggers. There are places for having picnics and a separate place for parking vehicles. However, all these zones have been gobbled up by the sea due to erosion. Paradip Port was established January 3, 1962 at Nehru Bungalow locality. The first township came up near the bungalow.
Later, the ‘Jawahar Guest House’ which is the first multi-storied building in Odisha was constructed in 1970. The land where Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru and former Odisha Chief Minister, Biju Patnaik laid the foundation stone for the port has also disappeared due to the marauding sea waves. Port authorities constructed a stone embankment in 1982 to save the town from the fury of the sea. However, it has not helped. Erosion is taking place at a very quick rate with stones in many places being washed away by the waves. Even though the gaps are being filled up, it is of not much help. Erosion is also happening rapidly along the stretch of area from the river mouth to IFFCO fertiliser plant since 2012.
The rate of erosion is so high that the 180 metres berth inside the Paradip fishing jetty was washed away in 2013. To prevent erosion, the Fisheries department undertook stone packing of the area by spending over Rs 1 core. Sources said that the port authorities are trying to restore the area. They have sought the assistance of a technical team. The technical team also visited the area and conducted a review of the devastation caused by the sea.
Paradip Municipality chairman Basant Biswal said the civic body does not have adequate resources to combat the situation. They have requested the Fisheries and Water Resources departments to take steps. Marine Fisheries department officer Jagannath Rao said a high-level team from the department has visited the spot and conducted a review of the erosion in the area.
