Kendrapara: The falling water level of Luna River, which flows through Kendrapara district, has raised concerns over the town’s drinking water supply and the future of agricultural land along its basin.
Officials said the intake feeder near Kalapada has been dry since November.
To ensure an uninterrupted drinking water supply to Kendrapara town, the Public Health Engineering Organisation (PHEO) is digging a canal — 700 metres long, 25 feet wide and 10 feet deep — into the riverbed to channel water to the intake point. Despite this temporary measure, the river’s water level continues to decline rapidly. Residents fear that the situation could worsen during the summer, leading to a complete disruption of drinking water supply.
Agriculture in the downstream areas is also at risk, with an estimated 10,000 hectares facing potential crop failure. Local environmental concerns have further intensified due to illegal sand mining, which residents say, is altering the river’s natural course. Intellectuals in the district argue that interlinking Kendrapara’s rivers could offer a long-term solution.
Manoj Kumar Singh of Khadianga said the PHEO and Water Resources department draw drinking water for the town from the Luna River at Kalapada. “The pump house area has remained dry since October. Even the 150-metre channel dug earlier has now dried up. If this continues, the town will face a severe water crisis in summer,” he said.
Local villager Santosh Kumar Kar noted that check dams at Padagayasapur, Gayasapur, Thauri, Chadheiguan, Rajagarh and Angulai were built to support irrigation and drinking water needs. But the declining water level has put both objectives at risk.
Former Zilla Parishad member Ganesh Chandra Samal said the 73-kilometre-long Luna River once served as a navigational route during British rule. “Lack of maintenance, illegal sand and soil lifting, and encroachment have diverted the river’s path. There is no arrangement for draining waterlogging from 850 hectares of farmland. Likewise, 32,350 hectares of agricultural land in the district are saline. In addition, during the rainy season, floodwater inundates 34,952 hectares of land. A total of 84,910 hectares in the district have been declared drought-prone. Despite repeated demands before the district council for proper water management of the rivers and main canals, no effective results have been achieved.
Social activist Banambar Sahoo added that earlier, the river supported cultivation of paddy, rabi crops, sugarcane and vegetables. “Water levels have been falling for years. Dams built upstream in Chhattisgarh along the Mahanadi have contributed to this crisis,” he said.
Farmer leader Bidhubhusan Mohapatra stressed the need for interlinking the district’s seven rivers and building barrages at strategic locations. “This would solve irrigation issues across the district. But neither the administration nor political leaders have taken concrete steps,” he said.
Executive engineer of the Water Resources department Umesh Chandra Sethi said several proposals to rejuvenate the Luna River are in progress and funds have been sanctioned. “Residents will soon begin to see the benefits,” he said.
